Molly allowed the tugging in her chest to pull her through the streets. She wasn't sure where everyone was, but the tugging in her chest told her, "This way to Clint". She had to find him. She had to stand by his side. She stopped within the shadows when Thor smashed into the middle of the street. Molly looked up and saw Iron Man holding onto the giant green creature they claimed was Bruce.
The creature faught against Iron Man making loud roars of protest. Molly allowed the shadows to release her and went to Thor's side.
"A worthy battle for any Asgardian," Thor said sitting up with a smile on his face. Thor had fallen over a hundred stories and was moving as if he had only fallen three feet. Maybe he really was a god. He looked at Molly as if he had just noticed she was there.
"Your husband will not approve," he said with a frown. Molly rolled her eyes.
"My husband will have to get over it. Get me up there. I can help."
"What if you are harmed?" Thor asked standing.
"Then it's my fault." Thor sighed shaking his head. "Besides, I have a god, a genius, a super soldier, and a SHIELD agent watching my back." Thor shrugged.
"Fair enough." He began spinning his hammer. He reached out scooping Molly up like she weighed as much as a leaf. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. A strange feeling of static coursed through her body. Thor jumped. The air around her went by so fast, it deafened her. Gravit didn't exist for just a moment. All of her eternal organs felt like they sunk to her feet.
When her feet finally touched solid ground again, she nearly fell over. Thor took off again quickly to aide Iron Man whose restraint was starting to fail. Molly couldn't understand why they weren't trying to knock him out. If that really was Buce, then knocking him out would be the perfect way to subdue him.
Hell, it was the perfect way to subdue anyone.
"Molly? How did you get here?" Clint yelled to her. Clint and Steve were standing at the edge of the building Thor had sat her down on. Steve had his sheild ready and Clint had an arrow notched but didn't have his bow drawn back. Molly rushed over to them keeping an eye on Thor and Iron Man. Tony had handed the creature over to Thor then he hovered in front of him. He began to speak reassuring words to him as if Tony was trying to calm him down.
"Thor brought me up. I figured you guys could use some extra hands." She expected a lot of protest out of Clint, but what she got was anything but protest.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Clint asked stepping in close enough to where Molly could smell the leather. Molly grinned.
"Of course." Clint nodded. He grabbed Molly's hand leading her over to Steve.
"We have to get him to calm down. That's the only way to get Bruce back."
"Why?"
"Because when he gets angry, that's wha the turns into."
"So, we don't like him when he's angry?"
"Sometimes." They watched as Iron Man failed miserably at calming down the monster. Iron Man's sly words only worked on sleezy women, not on giant green rage monsters. All he was going to do was going to piss him off more.
Molly looked to the horizon. The sun had peered over the distance. This was New York City. Bruce could level the entire city if he watned to. It was about time for the streets to start filling up with people on their way to work. Those people were going to be in a lot of danger if they didn't get that creature out of the city. So, that wsa the first part of the plan.
The creature somehow managed to break free from Thor's grasp and threw him into Tony and all three of them began tumbling out of the sky. The creature landing on his feet and let out a loud, triumphant roar. Molly growled. She looked back at the sun. Her powers would soon be useless. In total darkness, her powers were perfect. In the daytime, she had to find patches of shade and shadows before she could slip into them.
She looked over the edge of the building. There was shadow still about half way down she could use. She had to get down there.
"Go, we're right behind you," Clint said. Molly nodded and let herself fall right over the edge. She lvoed the feeling of falling. It just seemed so freeing to her. Nothing mattered as she fell.
She slipping into shadow allowing it to take her down to the bottom. Seconds later, Clint and Steve joined her by way of repelling.
"We need to get him out of the city," Steve said. Molly knew this was going to be a bad idea.
"Hey, Booger Breath!" she screamed. Steve and Clint nearly fell over. The creature looked at her and growled. She held her hands out challenging the massive, angry creature. "Come at me, bro!" The creature roared in acceptance.
"This is your idea of an idea?" Clint hissed.
"So far it is! Run!" All three turned on their heels and took off running. Molly's adrenaline was pumping so quick the whole world around her seemed to blur.
"There's no way we can get away on foot!" Steve called out.
"Then we get a car!" Molly yelled as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet.
"Look out!" Clint yelled tackling Molly. Molly then heard a very strange crunching sound a few feet in front of her. She looked up and saw an SUV rolling away from her and Clint.
"I didn't mean it like that!" she said looking back at the creature. Clint got up on his knees and fired an arrow which landed at the creature's feet. Molly gave Clint a wondering look. Shooting an arrow at someone's feet wasn't very effective. All came clear when the arrow exploded and a thick lime green goo flew all over the creature. He tried to move, but the goo restricted him in place.
"It won't hold him for long. We have to move." Clint helped Molly stand and they took off again. Iron Man flew in and landed next to them and began running with them his suit whirring and clanking with every step.
"Of all things, "Booger Breath" was the best you could come up with?" Molly looked over her shoulder when she heard the creature roar. He had broken free and had his sights set on the retreating group. Her sight went down a street and she skidded to a stop.
"Keep him busy. I'll be back!" Iron Man took off heading towards the creature who was battling Thor. Clint turned drawing an arrow back and let it loose hitting the creature in the face. The creature wiped his face screaming in uncempt rage. His eyes focused on Clint, but Captain America's sheild smacked him in the side of his face. The creature turned to the Super Soldier to retaliate, but Iron Man's beams distracted him from that.
The team was in perfe sync as they attacked and defended themselves. The squealing of tires distracted the team though as Molly made herself known on the battlefield in her newly aquired car. It was a red 2013 Chevy Camero that still had the temporary tages on it. She hung out the window.
"Come and get me you puke faced, chump!" She took off squealing the tires.
"Molly, wait, no!" Clint yelled trying to run to her, but she was already long gone. Fear gripped his heart. If Hulk got his hands on Molly, he would rip her apart. He would lose her for sure. His thoughts were jerked away when the Hulk ran passed him smacking him in the side hard enough to slam him into the building near him. Air was knocked from Clint's lungs as he landed on his knees. He tried to gasp for air, but all he could do was squeak.
"Hawkeye! Are you alright?" Captain America yelled running over to his fallen teammate.
"Molly," was all he could gasp out.
"We need to get to her before Hulk does," he said pulling him to his feet.
"How?" The loud roar of an engine echoed throughout the streets and was approaching quickly. A black Charger came barrling around the corner and skidded to a stop beside Hawkeye and Captain America. The window rolled down revealing Blade.
"Let me guess, Molly got herself in some major trouble in less than ten minutes." Clint ran around the other side of the car and got in. Steve slid in behind Blade. Clint rolled down his window and hung his head out.
"Tony, Thor! We got to get Hulk off her back! If she goes into a tunnel or over a bridge she's done for!"
"Not to mention that car," Tony said taking off.
"Asshole," Clint said rolling the window back up.
"I heard that," Tony said through the speakers in Blade's car.
"Get out of my car," Blade said.
"I will as soon as we don't need communications anymore. Looks like Molly is heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. If Hulk collapses that tennel, Molly will be the least of our worries."
"Molly must not realize what the Hulk is capable of," Steve said leaning up so he could hear Clint's response.
"She didn't even know it was Bruce. I just want to know what set Bruce off. It's a little too convienient."
"JARVIS told me he was changing, but he was fighting it. That's when we heard Thor's graceful entrance."
"Then what brought this on?" Blade asked. He hardly understood what was going on. All he knew was Molly was in trouble and she could possibly be killed if she wasn't careful.
"Agent Barton. This is Thor. We have a problem." Clint's heart fell. Having a problem whenever Hulk was involved was never good.
"What is it?"
"We can't get Banner focused on us. It seems he is set on your wife."
"Thor's right and Molly's almost at the tunnel."
Blade stepped on the gas pedal harder. All three men knew they weren't going to be able to reach her in time.
Molly sped through the streets as fast as the car she stole would allow. Iron Man and Thor was protecting her as much as they could. If the creature would through a vehicle, they would knock it away from her. If he would make a grab for her, they would knock him back. If it weren't for them, Molly knew, the creature would have killed her by now.
She knew that as soon as she reached the tunnel, she would be at her must vunerable. She knew the creautre would be able to bring the entire tunnel system down on top of her if he wanted to.
Molly looked behind her to see where the creature was as the tunnel came into view. He was close. Too close. She urged the car faster as Thor knocked the creature back. She entered the tunnel. Fear gripped her entire being. she knew there was a huge chance she was not making it out of this tunnel. But maybe, just maybe, it would stop the creature and everyone would be safe. And that was all that mattered.
The rearview mirror revealed the creature throwing another vehicle her way, but the vehicle just bounced off the ceiling and rolled to a stop before it even had a chance to hit her. She had to make it to the end. That was all. She could do that. Just as long as the creature kept throwing cars and nothing else.
Her fears came true when the creature started ramming the walls of the tunnel. All it took was one crack to start spewing water before everything began to collapse. A gushing wave of water was heading right for Molly and she immediatly knew there was no getting out of this.
She thought of Clint. She knew the archer was getting to her. Something about him that drew her closer to him like a magnet. The few times he h3eld her, she felt like she could lay there forever. Whenever he touched her, she felt like she melted. She couldn't figure out what it was baout him, but she really hoped she could have stuck around to find out.
The water enveloped the car.
Blade's Charger skidded to a stop at the tunnel. Thor and Iron Man were moving rubble in a fruitless attempt to reach any kind of survivor. Clint was out of the car before it stopped running towards the tunnel so he could help. Hands gripped his shoulders to keep him back.
"Let me go! I have to get Molly!" Clint yelled trying to jerk out of the grip, but it held fast.
"Clint, you'll only get in the way," Steve said though he really didn't mean anything by it. Clint turned to him and punched him in the face.
"You are not keeping me from my wife. I'm not going to lose her again." He turned to help Iron Man and Thor move rubble out of the way, but it all began to tremble. Thor and Iron Man jumped back when the entrance exploded. Hulk emerged. His eyes were drooping. His shoulders were hunched a little. His breath was heavy and labored. All eyes were on the rage monster as he walked away from the rubble. He carried Molly by her head. She didn't look much better than him.
She was trying to raise her hands, but she was just too weak. Her face showed no fear. She had a pure fighting light shining brightly in her eyes.
Clint drew an arrow back as Blade drew his sword. Tony readied a blast as clouds gathered overhead to bring lightning to Thor's hammer. The clouds covered the sun and Molly took the oppertunity to slip into the shadow, but she was too weak to make it very far. She reappeared nearly six feet away from Hulk. He growled in anger.
"Don't do it, Dr. Banner," Thor threatened. Hulk ignored him as he started regaining energy from a new found anger. Clint released an arrow, but Hulk caught it in mid air and threw it to Iron Man. The arrow let out an electrical discharge that caused Iron Man to stand down as his system faltered a little. Thor threw his hammer, but Hulk dodged it and countered by throwing a chunk of rubble. It hit the dog square in the chest and threw him backwards.
Blade pulled out his guns and began shooting the beast. Hulk sinmply ignored him as he took the few steps it took to tower over Molly. She was too tired and beaten to even care. But her eyes still carried a fighting spark as she stared up at the creature.
The creature raised his fists high above his head to bring them down on her, but half way through the creature reared back screaming in pain. Hands grabbed at Molly. She let them take her. The hands lifted her and cradled her like a child. The smell was so familiar. Leather, oil, and that musk that sent chills down her spine.
"Clint," she whispered.
"I'm here, sweetheart. I've got you." Lips touched her forehead. She relaxed against him finally feeling safe. "Wade!" Clint called out.
"Get her out of here! Big guy is after her!" Clint looked down at the resting form in hsi arms. He had known the Hulk was after her. He also knew that there was no way that Molly was going to be able to take on the Hulk in her current state.
"We have to wear him down, Wade! We can't hurt him!" Tony said hitting Hulk n the chest with a beam.
"Are ou kidding? This thing jus ttried to kill Molly. And you don't want him dead?" Wade argued.
"It's Bruce, Wade. We can't hurt him." Clint called ou to him. Wade turned and looked at him, a look of shock clear across his mask. He looked back at the roaring creature swatting at Captain America like he was a simple fly.
"Did he do something with his hair?" Clint shook his head.
"Shut up, Wade," Molly murmmered against his chest. Clint grinned looking down at her.
"Let's get her in the car," Blade said beside Clint. Blade had faught many foes in his lifetime, but none like Hulk. He'd never admit it out loud, but he would rather face a thousand vampires than to fight the monster standing before him.
Clint hurried over to the car and put her in the backseat. As soon as his touch left her, her eyes jerked open and she reached out grabbing his shirt.
"No, Clint, please, don't go." Cloint's hand reached out and touched her face.
"I'll be fine, Molly. Just rest." Molly's eyes searched Clint's for something Clint couldn't figure out. She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently.
"Be careful," she whispered. Clint grinned and backed away from her. He took out his bow switching out his arrow heads to a knockout gas.
He pulled ou three arrows and fitted them to the bow string. He aimed them directly at the Hulk's face and released them as soon as he knew they would make contact.
Hulk roared in frustration, but stopped halfway through to yawn. Iron Man landed next to Clint.
"Hit him with a couple more," he said. Clint pulled out two more arrows and smacked Hulk in the face again. it didn't take Hulk long to collapse after that., He slowly started to shift back into Bruce who was left snoozing on the pavement.
"The gas worked."
"It needs to be more potent," Tony said. "That way you're not wasting arrows." Wade teleported between them.
"What the fuck was all that about?" Wade hissed getting up into Clint's face.
"We're not sure. We'll figure it out.?"
"Doubt that. Your idea of "figuring it out" is nearly getting Molly killed."
"We had it under control," Steve said removing his mask.
"Yeah and now Lincoln Tunnel is flooded. Moll almost died because of your control. I'm getting her out of here before you really do get her killed. You guys are..." He would've finsihed, but a gunshot to the mouth made him fall over temporarily incapacitated. All eyes were on Molly who was holding Blade's gun.
"Shut up, Wade," she whispered.