Author's Note: I'm trying to redeem myself since the last chapter was the most horrible thing I've ever written in the history of this story (at least in my opinion). So in order to redeem myself, I sat down today and wrote this. I apologize this chapter isn't much longer than the last one but I believe it needed to end where it ended.
I'd like to thank: Nikki-Chaos
Theatre
SprinklesAreFun
MariMart
Guardian of Heaven
CrazyCountryGirl12
SLPLove
Destiny's Prophet
and of course
Lizzybug2000
They are so extremely kind to me and supportive, and never fail to make my day. So thank you! And of course, thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who reviewed, followed, favorited and just in general follow and love this story! It makes my day and makes me grin.
I also apologize for those who were disappointed I didn't include Project T.A.H.I.T.I. but as I said before, I will be including it later. I believe it will play a critical part in the story.
I also need to ask/address a couple of things:
1. What are your thoughts if I went on to include Avengers: Age of Ultron? Yay or nay?
2. Sequel to this story? Yay or nay? I'm still debating whether I should entirely start a new story or if I should just continue posting chapters to 'Trading Cards'. One pro is that all those who have favorited/followed would have an easier time of keeping up with the new addition, but a con is that I don't want this story to have 800+ chapters. (I'm exaggerating, but still).
Also another sub question (I guess 2a is: Would you guys stick around for a sequel or do you guys want to call it quits after this story?)
3. One shot in another's Point Of View besides Pippa? Yay or nay? Any specific scenes you would want to see in another person's Point of View?
4. Team Clint or Team Steve?
Of course remember to be honest when you answer! Thank you!
I honestly can't believe we're up to the Battle of New York. THAT MEANS THIS STORY IS ALMOST OVER!
Just joking. Calm down. Even if I decide not to do a sequel, I am doing some Post Movie chapters for this story regardless. Or at least I plan to.
Alright, I think that basically settles it. Can I be greedy and ask for 15+ Reviews?
We are the sleepers
We bite our tongues
We set the fire
And we let it burn
Through the dreamers
We hear the hum
They say, "Come on, come on, let's go."
So come on, come on, let's go.
- We Sink by Of Monsters And Men
Chapter Eleven:
The steady hum of the Quinjet's engine was like a lullaby for the injured agent. She shifted uncomfortably, her back against the cool metal wall as she closed her eyes. The energy that had run through her veins only moments ago was now replaced with aches and pains. She grimaced slightly at the slight twinge that threaded itself through her shoulder. Opening her eyes she glanced at Natasha who had self-appointed herself as the pilot, and Atticus who somehow deemed himself the co-pilot. A strange relief filled her as she witnessed the two getting along fairly easily even though Natasha wasn't the most welcoming person towards the NASA scientist initially.
The air around her changed. The soft scent of aftershave wafted towards her nose and Pippa did her best to classify the smell. It smelled simple and…clean. She racked her mind, trying to figure out where such a scent came from.
"Pippa."
"Captain." She mouthed silently, avoiding his gaze. Or at least trying to. Somehow her eyes did their best to drift towards his face, but she adamantly glued her gaze on the figure that sat across from her. She watched as the marksman expertly held the recurve bow in a gentle but firm grip, fiddling with the four buttons that ran down the length of the bow's grip. The sight was almost hypnotic to her.
"You're staying out of this battle."
This caught her attention. She had no choice but to stare at him, to stare at his determined expression. She opened her mouth to argue, to tell him that there was no way she was going to simply sit in the Quinjet and watch everything play in front of her eyes but he spoke before she could utter any sound, "You aren't in any condition to fight. You'll stay with Atticus-"
"Atticus knows the cube like the back of his hand. He'll be with Tesseract." Pippa informed him with a tone of sourness appearing in her voice, "If you want me to be with him, then fine, I'll be with the Tesseract." She then regarded the man before her in a slightly gentler tone, "But I'm not sitting this one out."
Silence.
Then:
"At least stay out of trouble." He finally said, sounding rather resigned as he stood. The conversation was clearly at an end according to him but Pippa refused to play by his rules. She had been playing by his rules for as long as she could remember.
"Trouble finds me." She stated. She tried her best to sound upbeat given the current circumstances they were under, and the troubles that they would soon face but her words had no effect on him. No laughter or amusement was apparent in his eyes.
No response. He started to walk past her but she stopped him with her words:
"You signed my trading card."
She didn't know why she said it, why she blurted it out. She didn't know if it was meant to be a question or just another simple blunt statement. She just didn't know. It flew from her lips and into the air. She waited with baited breath (she didn't know why) as the air was once again filled with silence.
Then his voice rang out quietly but clearer than ever:
"You asked me to." He said plainly as if was explaining his answer to a small child. It wasn't patronizing but it was unexpected.
And for some unknown reason she could feel a small blush creep up the base of her neck and climb up towards her cheeks. The sensation seemed different this time. She of course was not foreign to the feeling of blush blooming on her cheeks-she was known infamously for how much she blushed, but somehow this felt different. A different kind. Not due to pure embarrassment but due to something….something else.
She could feel his blue eyes on her back as if they were daggers-as if he was trying to figure out something. As if he was trying to see through her.
And then the sound of him moving away from her reached her ears and she managed to finally breathe (she didn't realize she had been holding her breath). She craned her neck to watch his retreating figure stand behind Natasha's chair, overlooking the scene of clouds and blue sky that surrounded them. Her eyes drifted, looking at the figure that sat across from her.
And in turn, the expert bowman was looking at her.
"Oh God."
Atticus. Pippa did her best to hurry over to where a particular green looking Atticus was. Sweat seemed to appear on his brow as his eyes grew large, "We're too late. It already stared."
She followed his gaze to where a beam of bright fluorescent blue light ran through the sky. The Tesseract. She swallowed hard, her throat somehow running dry. A thick tense silence filled the interior of the Quinjet as Natasha fiddled with some dials, finally speaking into her headset calmly, "Stark, we're heading northeast."
"You might want to buckle up Coulson." A voice breathed in her ear. She did her best to portray a calm expression as Clint brushed past her and traded places with Atticus (who seemed rather clammy). If it wasn't such serious circumstances Pippa might have believed there was a slight teasing tone in his voice, but instead she dismissed any thoughts and returned to her seat without voicing any objections (dragging an Atticus in tow).
Doing her best to ignore the repetitive sounds of bullets that sounded from the machine gun that Natasha was currently in control of, she focused her attention on making sure Atticus was okay. Doing her best to calm him down with her own words she was pleased to see him looking a bit less green.
"See them." Natasha declared-her voice penetrating through Pippa's concentration on focusing on Atticus' well being.
A sudden jolt made Pippa realize that they weren't okay. The force that made her plastered against her seat made her realize that they were truly in trouble. She managed to see a glimpse of Natasha and Clint (both of them seeming rather calm about it all) before another jolt made her body be pasted against the cool metal of the Quinjet. A gasp sounded through her lips as she clutched her seat with her one hand-wishing at that moment that her other hand was uninjured.
And then she was pushed forward-her figure being restrained harshly by the many buckles and straps that made up her seatbelt harness. She closed her eyes, trying to remain calm through the process but found that she could not. Another abrupt jolt made her hiss slightly in pain, earning a mutter of profanity from her.
"Language." Steve shouted over the rattling of the Quinjet.
Mustering her best annoyed expression she focused on the fact that they were gradually slowing down. The thought filled her with relief although the smell of burnt asphalt reached her nose.
"Everyone okay?" Natasha said aloud (although she wasn't really asking about everyone's well being). Murmurs arose from the small group as they quickly collected their gear. With the ramp open the brunette agent was in great need of stable ground. Desperately trying to escape the complicated harness that enclosed her, her uninjured hand clawed somewhat, fidgeting with the one remaining buckle she had yet to undo. It seemed adamant on not letting her go.
An interfering pair of hands made her stop all movements. She watched as though transfixed as the archer who had once almost tried to kill her (though she supposed it wasn't really his fault since he was under Loki's control) now knelt next to her and effortlessly freed her.
"Alright?" he muttered under his breath as he gently helped her up, careful of not touching her wounds. Instead he placed a firm but not unbearably tight grip on the bend of her free un-slinged arm. She nodded soundlessly as she did her best to exit the Quinjet, ignoring the sharp pain that echoed throughout her bloodstream.
"We need to get back up there." Steve said as he looked towards Stark Tower which now had a couple missing letters from what was supposed to form 'STARK'. Pippa watched as he then met her gaze, making her quickly turn her attention to the scene before them: cars strewn generously along the street, thick smoke that burned her lungs, half torn buildings, straggling groups of people fleeing from the streets into buildings, and sirens that rang faintly through the summer air.
What she didn't see was the flickering glance Steve directed between her and Clint-after all, the expert archer was still grasping her arm securely.
A rumble shook the ground so suddenly that Pippa glanced around wildly; trying to detect what was going on. Surely they couldn't be having an earthquake. But then a low roar, or perhaps it was a groan, sounded throughout the city. She gazed upwards to see a massive creature floating through the sky, gradually lowering itself onto the buildings. It was so gigantic that it blocked the dull sun for a moment as it swam through the air. She tried to categorize the creature-somehow it swam like a fish but reminded her of a skeletal dinosaur…
A sharp tug on her cardigan made her look over to where Atticus was standing. He edged towards her closer, "We're wasting time. We have to get to Stark Tower like the Captain said. Come on."
Although she hated the idea of disappearing from the group she acknowledged he was right. Atticus needed to get to the Tesseract in order to shut it down. She wiggled out of Clint's grasp on her arm, grateful he hadn't noticed due to the fact that he was still staring at the large skeletal object and did her best to scamper through the streets with Atticus leading the way.
Pippa did her best to keep up with his pace but found great difficulty in doing so. Taking a small break she wheezed as she leaned against some rubble. Her ribs were sending sharp constant pains and her shoulder gave her great difficulty. Atticus looked at her worriedly but she waved him away, "Keep going. I'll hitch a ride somewhere. I'm sure Stark won't mind."
It must have been the expression on her face because instead of arguing he gave a short determined nod and hurried away. She watched his figure become smaller and less clear as he ran through the hazy smoke and the dilapidated buildings.
"I thought I told you to stay safe."
Pippa winced as his voice rang loudly in her ear. She had totally forgotten about her earpiece. Debating whether she should ditch her earpiece or not, she finally decided not to. She could probably ignore him anyway. But then again, that probably wasn't the smartest choice.
"Relax Cap. Besides you told me to stay out of the trouble, not safe. And as of right now, I'm out of trouble." She responded as took a few steps before she sat on the ground, leaning against the remains of a rather destroyed building. She then carried on, "Stark, can you give me a lift to your humble abode?"
"Very funny. Where are you? I'll see if I can swing by." Stark noted.
Pippa glanced around her surroundings trying to soak in any landmarks before her eyes landed on the rather battered street sign, "47th street-Fifth Avenue."
Pippa pressed her earpiece closer to her ear in order to hear Stark mutter something along the lines of, "What are you doing in that area?"
"Christmas shopping obviously." Pippa replied deadpanned as she looked towards the sky. She scanned, hoping to find a suit of red and gold any moment now. She could hear a small snort from Tony before she felt cool metal grab her elbow on her uninjured side and drag her upwards. If she hadn't been expecting it she would have screamed by now. The wind ran through her hair as she closed her eyes, trying not to look down.
"Having fun?" Tony asked, his voice simultaneously coming from her earpiece as well as through the suit. She gave a stiff nod (not finding energy to give a sarcastic answer) before he spoke again, "Thank you for choosing Stark Shuttle. Have a fantastic day."
Opening her eyes cautiously she watched as he neared the top of the penthouse of Stark Tower. Hovering over a few feet over the landing (slowing his speed only slightly) he let her go, making her land with a small roll. She yelped slightly at the feeling of her arm and shoulder having pressure. The sharp small rocks of gravel digging into her skin didn't help.
"I thought I killed you."
Pippa scampered unsteadily to her feet to see Loki brushing the dust off his green robes, clearly having fallen only moments ago just as she did. She shrugged, doing her best to buy herself some time, "Like I told the Captain, day is full of surprises."
The Norse God sneered, "I don't know-"
A green massive blur whipped past her and collided through the penthouse's windows, taking the Loki along with him. Pippa blinked once…twice….thrice before it registered what happened. She then smiled brightly to no one in particular as she called after him, "Surprise!"
A horrible screeching noise reached her ears and she stumbled as she turned, eyes widening as a creature made its way towards her-she realized it was one of the Chitauri. With a step backwards, she glanced quickly down at her gun holster-
"Hold on Pippa. Guns are practically useless against those things."
Clint.
Doing her best to put distance between herself and the menacing creature, she gave a small smile, relieved to hear his voice. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, including herself. Then:
"Dammit. I'm out of arrows."
That made her freeze. She swallowed as her mouth ran dry once again, "What?"
"Pippa I need you to get out of-"
A sharp quick hum of something ran through the air and then a body crumpled to the ground, landing near her feet. Gazing wildly around for the person (or creature) who had killed the alien-like monster, her eyes landed on a rather bent over Atticus who was clutching what looked like a rather advanced weapon. Hurrying over towards him as he collapsed, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent instantly checked for injuries.
"Where does it hurt?" Pippa asked frantically but efficiently. He waved her hand away as he gasped. Annoyed she kept prodding, her eyes wilding roaming for any sight of blood.
Finally he managed to rasp:
"Too…many…flights...of...stairs."
"Pippa, have you figured out the Tesseract?"
She clenched her jaw at Natasha's tone-somewhat accusatory and somewhat cold but nevertheless urgent. Wobbling slightly at the insistent pain that accompanied her she then gazed at the Tesseract which seemed to be held by a rather advanced looking contraption.
"I kind of ran into some trouble." Pippa stated wryly as she made her way slowly-painfully towards the glowing Cube.
"What the hell do you mean by 'trouble'?" Rogers voice accused in her ear.
If she had more energy she might have rolled her eyes (even though she knew she couldn't be seen) or maybe might have pulled a face. But instead, as she staggered-each step supporting her weight less and less, she only managed to laugh very quietly (unheard by everyone). Swaying, her knees finally gave out as she crumpled towards the ground, not feeling the pain of the gravel this time. With a small intake of breath she managed to utter one word as her witty response:
"Language."
"Pippa?"
Note: Thoughts? Comments? Sequel? Steve? Clint? Atticus? Questions? One Shots (what scene, what Point of View)? Did I redeem myself?
Alright, I'm being greedy. Goal: 15+ Reviews for a Goal Total: 127+ Reviews
As compensation I might send an excerpt of the next chapter to those who review. (The excerpt might not be sent until the day before/of an update since life has been super busy, but I'll send an excerpt regardless)
Much love,
The Painted Green Door