A/N; Thanks for stopping by. Please drop a review if ya can! I'm taking a survey on interest in a story with the OC's in focus. LMK.

**Sending love your way now and always as we navigate this crazy year. Spread love, spread hope. Speak up for others. Stay Safe! **

"I need that chemical compound to do it's shit right about now."

John scrambles at his station, tie flung over his shoulder as he works. Beside him, SHEILD takes their positions with the young Russian girl who keeps up with the best of them. She types quickly into her own computer.

With a glance over her shoulder she eyes Fury with a focused stare;

"Fire it."

John pauses. The agents pause. Nick lowers his brow with slight disbelief;

"Excuse me?"

Izabella nods, "It done, I did it."

John quickly checks with wider eyes, "She ain't lying. It's ready to go."

Nick nods, "Fire."

The agents consent to his request with Maria chiming in for further instruction as she sits at the bridge in her spinning chair.

Izabella quickly returns to work with her poker face. John takes a moment to check on the teen, his watch casting a glisten over her screen;

"How'd you learn that?"

The girl shares a grin, "Vrach Banner."

He approves, "You learn quick. I'm impressed."

She lowers her head toward her hands and tentatively works to unwrap her left hand first, gritting her teeth and maintaining no expression through the pain. She points with her chin toward the syringe. Something about John invites trust in the young girl. She addresses him above the others around her;

"I need."

Jameson obeys briefly with a wide eyed shrug. He scans the room;

"I'm not a doctor, what is this."

Maria stands and runs to the girl's aid;

"It's her gamma compound- it heightens her abilities."

John cringes, "I don't feel good about this. Don't you need your hands?!"

Izabella gives him a glance, suddenly choosing Maria's company as she gives into the girl's desires.

The astronaut shakes his head, "You can't let her do this, she's gonna blow her hands off? No? Am I wrong?!"

The director shares a look, "Izabella, we can wait to find another answer."

Maria shakes her head, "The black hole is activating..."

Izabella raises her sweet voice, her accent coming in thick as she addresses the adults around her, "It my choice. I want to help. Let me help. We are a team no?"

The team freeze, Maria with her syringe, John and Fury at their stations. Izabella shares a reassuring smile;

"I can do it. I want to do it. For Natasha, for Vrach. It my duty to do, what I can do."

Hill twists her jaw, eyes falling to the girl's hands. She reaches for her wrists;

"You are so brave and I know, they are proud of you. You don't need to hurt herself anymore to prove anything. We know you care."

Izabella smiles up toward her friend, "I want to. I can help. Please."

Maria looks toward Fury for direction. He nods, giving his approval for the decision. Hill tilts her head and helps Izabella unwrap her fragile palms;

"You stop the second it's unbearable, okay?" Izabella nods. Maria talks through her teeth, "The Banners are gonna kill me...incoming needle."

The girl takes a her dosage without a second thought and steps beside Jameson after. She analyzes her codes. She channels the map that resides inside of her. She knows exactly which vacant dimension to send the hazard to. She knows her exact breath. With an inhale Izabella forces her fingers to extend. With a green circle incasing her fingertips, Hill holds John's shoulder to move him backward.

The energy quickly encases the room. She pulls back slightly to channel it toward her desired target. Her eyes shut tight as she concentrates- a full on blast blowing through the room and out toward the field...

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Natasha feels the metal inches from her forehead. Each thought on her past, her present, her future.

With a blast emerging from behind their building she's forced to look elsewhere. Her chest falls over the victorious sight. A dumbfounded Olga letting her weapon fall to the ground over the defeat for her own side. She scrambles with her Russian swears spewing from her mouth.

Romanoff turns gradually. Her own mind a blur as the black hole warps into a practical oblivion.

"You know, if that kid is brave enough to stand through the pain you put her through for the sake of a country - a life - that is not her own...where is your empathy?"

Olga stammers with a tightened jaw, "You do not understand."

Natasha looks up toward her friend unapologetically "Do you?"

The older woman holds her stance. Natasha shakes her head, "I'm trying to understand. To feel what you feel. But the second you put my kids in danger and did nothing, you should've known what was coming."

Olga reaches for Natasha throat angrily. Her voice is deep and firm as she grumbles a Russian order to her minions. Natasha translates the threat quickly and swings a leg forward to knock the device from her hand;

"You can shoot me but you are not gonna touch my daughter."

Olga snaps as she thrown; "I should've shot you."

Romanoff scoffs, "I was ready for you to pull that trigger. But you didn't. And my kids? They're swarming the street. Blasting your support back from where it came. Stand down Olga. There's no reason for this. Come back with me. Make a difference. Stop hurting innocent lives and put you're energy where it can be used for good."

With an extended hand Olga locates her secondary pistol. Natasha holds her stance and waits with a loud roar she can feel his presence. The large green giant leaps up behind the older woman and knocks the weapon from her hand with a firm wack.

Romanoff leaps forward and snatches up the weapons, eyeing the Hulk. She reaches for his arm;

"Stop. Please. I'm okay. Don't hurt her. It's okay..."

He groans against his will and focuses on her eyes and her smile. She can tell she's getting through to him as he releases his fist and remains attentive to her every word. Natasha forces a smile to get her point across. Her tone softens.

His own eyes drop, far more interested in hearing what she has to say. Romanoff reaches for his cheek, up on her tip toes as he lowers himself to her level. With a hand on his skin she feels him tense.

He snaps from her with a roar in Olga's direction and swings to knock her from off of him. Natasha lunges forward to avoid her own accidental knock, hazel state wide as she scans the roof. With her eyes closed she snaps almost irritated by his reaction, "Bruce..."

His roar changes to a cry as he moves to eliminate the threat. As he turns she spots his injury, a knife stuck behind his back. There's limited blood, if any, as he tears and throws the weapon from his back. Her expression softens, her scream turned to a whisper over the change in his focus. He's dark, sad..."Bruce...?"

The Hulk stands over Olga unapologetically. He continues to roar and stumbles backward. Natasha presses forward unsure where to aid. Her jaw drops as a missile fires above them and aims for the field. She scrambles to the edge of the building and yells for her friends and teammates to clear the area. Hesitant to leave the Hulk she stutters. With a scream she reaches for her hidden pistol and fires to scare Olga into hiding;

"Are you okay?"

He growls. She knows he's pushing through;

"I gotta go okay? The kids- our kids, need us."

With her eyes shut tight she leaps from the building and moves to push the children from the missiles.

Riley dodged beside the Black Widow;

"Thanks."

She nods, "I need a com. Hulk is down."

Riley holds her earpiece, "I'm on it. I'll tell Fury."

The girl makes her call. Another meta child offers a com toward the older agent who accepts it gratefully. Through the other end Natasha pauses over the fear in Stark's voice;

"Hey, Red? Is it just me or is our mutual buddy wreaking some needless havoc."

Natasha walks out into the road to check on the big green. With a sudden change in his roar she widens her focus over the sight. She swears under her breath.

He's tinged in red, tearing from the building without a care or concern. He's clearly more destructive. Romanoff runs forward to intervene. They share a glance;

"Come on big guy..."

Tony retorts, "He's gonna hurt someone."

The director snaps, "Get him off the road Romanoff!"

Hulk pauses for a half second before continuing in his raid. The screams of the civilians fill her ears. She whistles- he refuses to look at her. She frantically reaches for her pistol to defend the pedestrians. Gritting her teeth her heart breaks over her action;

"Come on Bruce...Hey! Eyes on me!"

She fires above his shoulder, red eyed stare visible as he tears the road underneath. Natasha turns to run and pulls a raging hulk from the innocent victims.

Her heart pounds. He's not himself and it scares her. She makes her run and decides against backup. Stark calls once more;

"I can get to you- make a left on 3rd-"

Natasha snaps as she pants for air mid run;

"No! Focus on Crusher-"

"Nat! He's not looking normal-"

Clint yells through her tech.

"He won't hurt me! You do you! I'll do me!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lucy twists her jaw with a thought, stuck behind an upturned truck next to Barton;

"We should help her."

Clint pauses, "If we can nail Titania we can free your mom long enough to get over there."

She nods and calls her team, urging them to take varying directions. Barton intervenes to ensure their safety, consenting to their plan.

Lucy takes her stance, counting on the rest of her team to do so for themselves. Brody continues his fly over and aids the Captain. Garrett makes his way toward Lucy, taking down a charging minion for her sake.

The blue haired teen looks to see her savior, "Thanks."

He pauses with his own lingering stare, receiving a knock down from Riley who urges her friends to duck. The girl screams as she's blasted with the incoming attack. Lucy takes her stance and fires toward the demigod as Thor steps in to remove his brother.

Clint turns to assess the damage of the blonde who has fallen face first to the ground. Garrett leans to aid her to her feet. Her reddened eyelids are shut tight, cheeks flushed with a matching color. Clint moves to scoop Riley into his arms;

"Not good...Fury, kid down. She got in the face with something, can't open her eyes."

"Clint watch out!" Lucy warns. She's all too late as the archer is taken off his feet. Garrett steps in with his own crossbow to offer a protective shield around the archer and their fallen friend.

Lucy freezes, taking a shot to her knee which causes her to collapse.

The scream from the teen reaches the she-hulk immediately who wastes no time in silencing her enemy to focus her attention elsewhere. With a brief final altercation, a vibrant green Jennifer knocks her nemesis unconscious.

Rogers shakes his head and clutches his com;

"Get the kids off the field."

Tony snaps, "Jen? Any chance you could tame your cousin-"

She roars, "My daughter is hurt!"

"Got it. I'll get the green."

Lucy pants on her com, "I'm okay mom. I'm okay."

Steve interjects, "Jen! We need you on Hulk. He's been shot up with something. Romanoff?"

She pants from around the building, choosing to omit details on her chase, "I'm alive."

Garrett points, "We need to help Thor."

Lucy freezes, finally recognizing the black hole has closed. The lack of escape causing many minions to fall automatically;

"We need to get to Crusher. Where is Olga?"

Garrett lays a hand over Lucy's shoulder as his eyes fall over her frame;

"Your leg is bleeding!"

Barton pushes to his knees as a SHEILD agent takes Riley;

"You're done. Get on the ship. Both of you!"

"But-"

"That's an order."

Garrett helps his friend along, rounding up his troops. Lucy pulls away;

"I have to help-"

"You're gonna get killed."

Barton snaps, "Lucy! Orders! Follow them."

She grits her teeth and obeys.

. . . . . . . . . .

Romanoff slips into an alley with her back against the wall. She pants with her chest aching from the lack of oxygen. Leaping backward over the abandoned factory, she leads a raging hulk from panicking onlookers.

She swings to land a few feet ahead of him, her hands over her thighs as she bends over to breathe;

"Come on Hulk, please."

He roars loudly charging with her veins tinged red. Natasha lifts a hand as he comes closer, standing more upright as she tried to make eye contact and hold it. He pulls away, still furious over Olga's stabbing, the prior gun shots and Natasha's distraction from his rampage. She wheezes through her breath;

"Hulk? Look at me...can you hear me. It's just you and me...Hulk? It's you and me..."

Romanoff cringes over his decision to wreak havoc on the asphalt. She crouches, holding her focus on him. In a brief panic she shouts to reclaim his attention and permit a family to dodge for cover;

"Hulk!"

He whips his head around. Natasha wants to drop her own, done with the day and ready to return home;

"Hulk, you're going to hurt someone and I know that's not what you want-!"

He snarls loudly, "Pain! So much pain."

"I know...,' she bites her lip, 'I'm so sorry."

She stays low, eyes soft and approachable. He stumbles, finally letting up. She holds out hope and her hand as he takes a step toward her;

"Do you trust me?"

He pauses. His head lowers;

"No."

She nods and accepts his response. Away from the battle they can hear less chaos. His goal to return to his rage. Natasha holds his focus, unsure of where he stands with his red tinted stare;

"I love you. I need you to come to me, okay?"

"No! Spider shoot hulk!"

Reaching into her pocket she lifts her pistol out from its holster. For the second time today she slides it away from her and lifts her hands;

"I'm not the enemy- I'm not going to shoot in your direction again- you know me. I wanted your attention- you're hurting people."

He steps cautiously. There is a trust Natasha feels between them. His eyes flickering from red to a familiar brown as they touch. His large finger brushing her cheek.

She gasps as another green giant swings recklessly. Natasha swears over She-Hulk's entrance, encoring a roar from Hulk. Romanoff snarls;

"Seriously?! I had him under control!"

Hulk glares, "Control?!"

Natasha scrambles, "Not. Like that-"

She-Hulk takes a second swing before Hulk can process. Steve calls for Black Widow;

"Romanoff! Could use back up on Crusher!"

Natasha's response is an abrupt recognition;

"A little busy-"

With a knock into her skull, Olga's return refocuses the raging Hulks as they rush toward Romanoff's aid. The hulk spots the cause of his excessive anger, eager to destroy the older Russian.

Natasha grumbles from the ground, holding her head as she spots the demigod;

"Ugh Loki..."

Jennifer swings her arm recklessly,

"Loki?! Where!"

Natasha tilts her head as the she-hulk takes out the enemy, with an accidental swing;

"Nevermind."

. . . . . . . . . .

Barton circles the last of his child help, pointedly focusing on a disgruntled Lucile Jameson as she crosses her arms;

"You're safer onboard the craft."

"That's what you think. We came to help."

"And you have. But Riley is hurt- badly. Sometimes the fight needs to go on a pause for your friends."

She readdresses his eyes with her own. He taps her shoulder and turns to push through his own injury to fight with the others.

The teen tightens to hold she has on her bow. Feeling her father's hand over her shoulder. She glances upward hesitantly. John smiles;

"I'm proud of you Lucy."

She snaps, "For what. We put a few Asgardian beasts on pause- big whoop."

Darcy bites her lip, hesitant to intervene;

"We did what we could-"

"So what?!" Lucy snaps.

John lifts his shoulders and pouts his lower lip, "You think they need more help?"

She shrugs, "Obviously..."

He nods, "Then watch your old man work."

Lucy scoffs, watching with slight horror as her dad rampages downward with a canine like howl. She smirks with a pride until a fellow youth makes her own remark;

"Your dads a werewolf?!"

Lucy shrugs, "Yeah, I guess-"

"...weird."

The Jameson girl huffs out a sigh and waits alone on the edge of the entrance. She lets her head fall as she hears the voices...

"Your moms busy controlling the Hulk? Did she even finish arresting Titania before moving onto Olga?"

"Don't worry about that Tony will finish the job."

"Who is the random wolf?"

"Guys! Riley's hurt! She can't even see!"

Lucy sinks lower against the frame, the fullness of her body weight taking her downward steadily. Darcy takes a step toward her friend with a friendly nudge, cringing over her teammates remarks in the background;

"Hey...there...kiddo...your legs kinda bleeding, you wanna get that checked out?"

Lucy retorts abruptly;

"Where's Izzy?"

Maria Hill's voice answers quickly;

"She's in medical. Kinda feel like she won't be drawing anytime soon."

Lucy's eyebrows lower, "What are you talking about-"

Maria retorts abruptly with her mission elsewhere, "I'm talking about her bloody hands and the fact that the kid left the bridge holding back tears over the fact that she's a frickin cripple."

Lucy lifts a heel into the side of the door frame as it closes and the craft raises higher into the air. As he parents and mentors disappear from view she feels an overwhelming lump in her throat full of disappointment and guilt.

The agents pace-

There's word of Riley's vision- Tommy's limp...

Garrett's shoulder...

Izabella's hands...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The dust continues. The flames keep rising among the debris.

Barton continues to protect pedestrians. The hulks move to take on Olga, Natasha demanding a fair trial for her friend as she prevents her demise.

Rogers and Stark move in on Crusher to take him down. Successfully arresting the Demigod and Titania with extra effort from Thor and a Brody who avoided the youths retraction by being in the air.

Fury takes his prisoners safely, leaving the team to huddle on the ground.

Gradually each member shifts closer to the center. Jennifer and John share a moment, holding hands before sinking to the ground for breath. Stark lands among them, shifting backward for an overturned vehicle to hold him upright. Rogers stays crouched low to the ground, an elbow resting over his muddied shield. Clint lays flat against the asphalt, barely giving a care to the flying sparks that encircle them.

Natasha makes her way over last with an equally wobbling Hulk. Her eyes gloss over, missing a step Hulk is all too aware of as he catches her fall.

Thor stands tallest with Brody at his side. He raises a hand with a positive smile, "Well. We won."

"Yeah,' Stark nods, 'Are we finally ready for that trip to Hawaii? What about you big green? You human again?" Hulk roars. Tony nods, "Good, good. Welcome back."

Barton growls, his side bloodied;

"Someone. Get me. A god damn margarita. I've earned that shit."

Steve widens his eyes in Brody's defense, "Language!"