Hey! Terribly sorry for the long wait. Turns out Salida, CO doesn't have the best internet... But I'm safely home now which means- UPDATE!
And I wrote a bunch more for Midwinter's which is always good.
Not much else to say. I hope you enjoyed your spring break or if you didn't have a break I hope you're enjoying school!
... who am I kidding.
Oh well. Enjoy!
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A few minutes later Nathan was moving people into position. "Claire, on the roof of the building to your right," he said briskly. "Brenda, Stephanie, you two take the front. Lena, Lori, you're on the back. Tasha's in the sky. The originals are backup just in case everything goes to heck in a handbasket."
Siklali was hiding behind Brenda, staring at the people fearfully. "Who are they?" she finally whispered.
"These are my friends," Brenda explained quickly. "I'm gonna send you back to keep Nathan company, and make sure you don't get hurt, ok?"
Siklali nodded silently. Brenda smiled reassuringly at her and led her to the quinjet, where Nathan was seated with a touchscreen.
"Nathan, can you look out for her for me?" she asked.
Nathan warily eyed the young girl, who was looking a bit scared. "Why?" he asked.
"I made a deal with her. She led me to Father, and I'll be taking her back to the States," Brenda said simply.
Nathan's eyebrows went straight up. "You're adopting her?" he asked incredulously. "Brenda, you're 18!"
"Either I will, or I'll ask Father to adopt her," she said with a shrug. "I don't go back on my promises."
"Of course you don't," Nathan muttered. "Because unlike most of us, you have morals!"
Brenda sighed. "Look- she can understand you, so just ask her to do something politely."
"How?" Nathan asked curiously.
"Lori. She asked Loki for a spell to let her understand English. I'll teach her to speak it when we get home."
Siklali reluctantly split off from Brenda and sat next to Nathan, looking at the screen he was using. "Bye," Brenda said with a small smile. "I'll see you soon."
Siklali waved as Brenda made her way back to where the others were, smiling cheerfully at them. "Ready to go?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"It's your dad," Stephanie said with a shrug. "I'm all set."
"Let's go."
Brenda took off at a sprint through the trees, hiding more and more frequently as she came closer to the building where Father- Bruce- was. She reached the final tree and put her back to the rough bark.
"How're we gonna do this?" she asked determinedly.
"Claire, shoot a knockout gas arrow into the middle of those shepherds. That should knock them out. Brenda, get up to the front of the house and try to change into Mini-Hulk. That should give us shock factor. Do your best to create a window for Claire to shoot into."
Brenda snorted. "I can try, but Mini has a mind of her own. She'll want Father safe first- I can guarantee that."
"Right. Note to self," Nathan muttered. "Tasha, I'm delegating the task of creating a window to you. Clear?"
"Crystal."
"Stephanie, you'll come in behind Mini, try to draw their attention away from Lori and Lena as they try to counter whatever they have to keep the Hulk from coming out."
"Got it."
"Lena, protect Lori while she does her thing. Remember, we're trying to be as quick about this as possible."
"Alright then. Everyone clear?"
"Yep," Brenda said quickly. "Claire- now."
An almost silent twang was the only thing that signified the rescue mission had begun. The arrow landed and started releasing an almost clear fog of knock-out gas. The men quickly succumbed, and Brenda impatiently waited for them to all be completely out before darting to the front door.
"I'm huddled against the front wall. Now I just have to get really angry-" Brenda cut off abruptly, peeking through the window.
"Brenda, are you still there?" Nathan asked.
Brenda fought down a growl. "Oh, yes," she said coldly. "They've got him strapped down to a metal table and he's probably as high as a kite to keep him from changing. I'm definitely mad now."
"Then change," Nathan urged her. "Go for it."
Stephanie lightly tapped her shoulder. "I'm right behind you," she said firmly. "If they have tranqs I'll get you out right away."
Brenda nodded and took a deep breath, focusing on her boiling anger in the pit of her stomach. "Mini?" she called in her mind. "Time to come out and play. I've found Father."
Mini shot forward and Brenda allowed herself to take a step back. She doubled in size in an instant and her skin turned a poisonous green. Miraculously, the untested suit of clothes Tasha had made her stretched to her new size- and fit.
Mini took a deep breath, smelling fear and sadness on the wind. She looked down at Star-Girl and said, with a slight curl of her lip, "Mini-Hulk smash!"
No further words were needed, as Mini turned around and ripped the front door right off its hinges.
Some guards who had been playing a game of cards came to their feet with alarmed shouts, scrambling to grab their guns. Mini roared as part of the ceiling and the right wall caved under a blast from Tasha. The door went flying and caught one man full in the chest, clipping another on the side of the head.
"Lori, Lena, go, go, go!" Mini heard the Spider-boy shout into her ear. The back wall of the house vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving rubble and two young ladies behind.
Mini roared loudly, slamming a fist into one of the enemy's faces. He fell without a sound, though his gun clattered loudly on the ground.
A jolt ran through Mini and she whirled, just in time to see Bruce snap into consciousness. "FATHER!" Brenda shrieked happily, though it came out as a happy roar from Mini.
He raised his head weakly as Mini released her hold on Brenda, allowing her through. Brenda shrunk back to her normal size and fell to her knees beside Bruce, quickly undoing the straps that bound him to the table.
"Father- can you hear me?!" Brenda asked, voice scared as she helped Bruce sit up.
He groaned softly, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah... Don't feel great- wait."
Brenda bit her lip expectantly, helping him stand up and hobble to the door frame.
"Brenda," he whispered suddenly, looking at her. "Brenda, you're here!"
Brenda bit back a sob and threw her arms around him tightly, crying tears of joy. "Yes," she choked out. "I'm here. God I missed you!"
Bruce hugged back tightly. He didn't seem to have words, but Brenda didn't need any. The slight dampness on her shoulder said volumes.
"As sweet as this is, Brenda, you need to get back to the quinjet-" Nathan said, only to be cut off by Claire screaming into the headset, "BREN GET DOWN!"
Brenda tried to flatten herself to the ground, but wasn't going to be fast enough, and Bruce knew it. He pulled her close and spun- and the flying bullet impacted his back.
Brenda shrieked as it impacted and pulled back, quickly looking at the point of impact. "Dad, talk to me," she said frantically. "Is the Hulk coming out?"
Bruce bent double, and Brenda dropped to kneel beside him, hand gently on his back. "He's-" the scientist started to gasp out.
"Angry?" Brenda suggested.
Bruce allowed himself a small smile, before he was suddenly transforming into the Hulk.
Mini Hulk sprinted to the forefront of Brenda's mind, and quite suddenly the kidnapping terrorists were facing two VERY angry green giants.
Hulk was breathing heavily as the bullet fell out of his back and to the ground with a soft *ting*. The terrorists stared at the two monsters in sudden fear.
Hulk grinned- and smashed.
Two fists pummeled two of the terrorists into the ground. Mini slammed one man into a wall and bent his pretty little gun into a tidy little knot. The other Young Avengers backed off as the two giants went to work taking out the trash.
The house shook as Hulk roared and swept one log-like arm across the ground. Floorboards ripped right out of the ground and flew across the room, catching one or two terrorists in the process.
Finally Mini smashed the final terrorist into the floor and turned to look at Hulk. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Mini hesitantly hugged the Hulk.
"Miss you," the smaller Hulk rumbled out.
The Hulk gently patted her back. "Miss you too," he said.
The two green giants started to shrink, and Brenda caught Bruce as he stumbled. "Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm tired," he said quickly. "I need to sleep for 24 hours and I'll be fine- I promise."
Thor ducked under a hanging beam and reached the two scientists. "How fare you, Doctor Banner?" he asked, sliding a hand under Bruce's arm and helping him walk out of the building as Brenda trailed behind.
"Not well," Bruce said, wincing as he made his way- barefoot- to the quinjets. "I'm just tired..." He never finished his sentence and slumped forward, asleep.
Thor laughed softly and picked the scientist up in a fireman's hold, breaking into a slow jog as he made his way back to the quinjets. A group of medics relieved the demi-god of his burden and carried Bruce Banner into one of the quinjets.
Stephanie met Brenda as she was getting onto the other quinjet, forehead creased in worry. "Is he alright?" she asked, voice nervous.
Brenda nodded and wiped away a few tears. "He's alive. The Hulk healed any injuries," she said, voice wobbling.
Stephanie pulled Brenda onto the quinjet and hugged her silently, rubbing her back gently. "You got him back," she said soothingly. "He won't have to leave your sight for... forever if you want to."
Brenda laughed. Stephanie's shoulder was slightly damp as she pulled away and smiled wetly at her friend. "Thank you."
Stephanie smiled as the quinjets lifted off the ground, before her gentle expression dropped. "Now what's this I hear about you adopting a Hindu girl?" she asked, eyebrows vanishing into her blonde wisps of bangs.
Siklali tugged at Brenda's hand. She looked cleaner, like someone had given her a towel to wipe off her face and hands. "Pick me up?" she requested softly, reaching both hands up to the short girl.
Brenda laughed and acquiesced, picking Siklali up. The Hindu girl's wide brown eyes stared Stephanie down, before she hid her face in Brenda's shoulder.
"I'm too young to have a kid, so I'm hoping Father will adopt her," Brenda said with a shrug.
Stephanie flinched at the first part of her sentence, before noticably forcing herself to nod. "Yeah, you're right. All of us are too young to raise a kid," she said, forcibly light.
Now it was Brenda's turn to raise her eyebrows.
"Hey, Brenda!" Nathan called from across the quinjet. "Can you come help me out? I got a cut on my arm."
Brenda shot a look at Stephanie that promised the conversation wasn't over before making her way over to Nathan. He was trying to wrap a bandage around his lower arm one-handed, and failing miserably.
"First of all, you haven't cleaned the wound properly," Brenda said, taking the gauze from him and setting Siklali down. To the little girl, she said, "I need a small brown bottle that's sitting over there on that seat. Go get it for me?"
Siklali nodded and ran to grab the bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide while Brenda examined the cut further.
"How did you even get hurt?" Brenda asked suspiciously. "I thought you were on the quinjet the whole time."
"I got bored," Nathan muttered, looking down at his hands. "I was tossing knives to keep your kid entertained and one caught my arm."
Brenda stifled a laugh. "And the dirt?"
"I tried to use the towel I gave Siklali to clean my arm without knowing it." He looked grumpy. Brenda sighed and shook her head as she looked at the cut.
It ran from about a third above his wrist to his elbow. It wasn't deep, but was full of dirt from him failing to clean it out properly. "Next time, wear long sleeves," Brenda ordered as Siklali returned, holding out the bottle of H2O2. The older girl took it.
"Thank you, Siklali. Brace yourself," she ordered Nathan, and poured some of the chemical onto his arm.
He immediately stiffened, biting onto his lower lip as the compound did its work. "That burns like fire!" he hissed angrily, fighting to keep his expression neutral.
"Try pouring that over a larger area than just your arm. Say, a skinned knee?" Brenda asked coolly. Nathan winced.
Siklali tugged on Brenda's pant leg as she wrapped the gauze into a roll and used a tissue to swab up the foam from the H2O2. "Yes, Siklali?" she asked absentmindedly.
Siklali looked slightly exasperated and climbed onto the seat beside Nathan. "Will he be ok?" the little girl whispered into Brenda's ear.
"He'll be fine," she said quickly. "He's just being a bit of a baby, crying over a little burn when I know he's had far worse."
Nathan slowly turned slightly red. "Hey!"
Brenda laughed and quickly wrapped his arm up. "You'll be fine in a bit," she said, then hesitated. "Hey, can I... ask a favor?"
Nathan looked at her and nodded.
"Claire is on the other quinjet, right?" she asked cautiously. Nathan and Claire were still at each other's throats fairly often.
"Yeah..." he asked hesitantly.
"Then can you ask her how Father is doing?"
Nathan nodded. "Sure. Where's your comm?"
"It got destroyed," Brenda said quietly.
He grinned. "Sure. Go look after whoever else you need to."
Brenda smiled quickly and made her way over to Lena.
Nathan flipped his comm on and said, "Claire?"
There was silence for a moment, before Claire asked, "Yes, Nathan?"
"How's Bruce doing? Brenda wants to know."
"One sec." Claire shouted something to someone and quickly said, "Tell Brenda that Bruce is alright. His injuries are healing really fast and he should be perfectly healthy when he wakes up."
Nathan relayed the information to Brenda, who mouthed "Thank you!" to him as she passed. "She says thank you," he told Claire.
"Don't worry about it. Any major injuries?" she asked.
"Steph's fine, Tasha's armor is beat up, Lena's a bit cut up, but she'll be fine, Lori herself is alright, I had a minor cut. No broken bones or sprains. You?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."
Nathan looked around briefly. No one was close enough to hear, so he murmured, "Is anyone else on?"
Silence.
"Ok. Are you ok, sweetie?" he asked Claire quietly.
"I'm fine, love. You're ok too?" she whispered.
"Yes. I'll see you soon," he murmured and flipped the comm off, sitting back with a sigh.