As so many extraordinary days seem to start, this day seemed very ordinary...uneventful even.
Shana O'Hara...Code name Scarlett was doing a routine flight exercise for her yearly certification...as she had done a dozen times before. The sky was relatively clear, but for a few fluffy clouds and she was piloting the sky striker with surprising efficiency.
Hawk watched from the ground, flanked by BeachHead and Sgt. Slaughter.
The General watched and smiled, remarking to BeachHead, "That lady gets better and better every damn year."
As much of a hard ass as he was, even BeachHead had incredible respect for Scarlett. "Didn't expect anything less Sir. She's always been one of our best."
Slaughter nodded, "You know she's good when the Renegades even give a nod. During hand to hand yesterday Mercer looked at me after watching her spar with Snake Eyes he said, and I quote, "Remind me not to piss that woman off."
Hawk and BeachHead both chuckled at that, Hawk remarking, "Well my mom always said God gave redheads that color hair as a warning label."
The ensuing laughter was interrupted at a warning alert. Mainframe spoke into Hawk's radio, "General, we have a report coming in of an experimental aircraft being pursued by a hostile into our airspace. They are asking if we can intercept and assist."
"Where is the aircraft from?"
"Report came from S.H.I.E.L.D. Sir"
That statement caused all three men to startle.
"S.H.I.E.L.D? Man they are so secretive I don't think THEY know they exist!"
Hawk was instantly very serious, "Scarlett, the incoming aircraft is being pursued by a hostile and we have been asked for an assist, exercise extreme caution when engaging, Is that understood?"
Static crackled in with a, "Understood Sir, In pursuit now."
Hawk's face was grim, not liking this at all.
--
Scarlett was pushing the Sky Striker to it's limit trying to catch up to the craft and it's pursuer.
Shaking her head at the incredible speed of the first craft she muttered, "What the Hell is powering that thing?"
She wasn't completely naive, after last year's New York event, with an attempted alien invasion, the introduction of the Avengers, etc...it had been a BIG learning curve. She glared at the glowing field surrounding the aircraft's exhaust and thought, 'This screams alien technology'.
Hell she remembered being scrambled with the team to go defend NY, but by the time they got there it was over. Earth saved by a mixed bag of extraordinary beings. It was all so surreal. Superheroes were comic book fodder when she was a kid.
And suddenly there they were, larger than life:
Thor - otherworldly Demi God. Could command lightning...{not bad to look at either}
Iron Man - Tony Stark, Billionaire Playboy with incredible technological skills, basically made a superhero suit.
The Hulk - Gamma radiation specialized scientist who experimented on himself and became, basically an enormous green rage monster.
Clint Barton - Hawkeye, special agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Incredible marksman.
Natasha Romanoff - Black Widow. Spy and assassin, KGB operative, recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. Legendary in her skills.
Captain Steve Rogers - Captain America. Genetically engineered super soldier. The poster boy for patriotism during WWII. She remembered her Dad showing her his trading cards!
After the NY incident, Scarlett had done extensive research, Intelligence after all...
Giving her head a shake she focused on the fight in front of her. The pursuing plane scored a hit on the wing of the experimental plane and it started going down. The pilot was doing a good job slowing the descent, but the landing was still going to be damn rough. Scarlett aimed for the same open area and brought her Sky Striker down ahead and to the left. She quickly jumped out and ran towards the downed plane, that was still in one piece, but was on fire. Reaching the pilot she shoved open the hatch and found a woman in her 50's. She saw the woman's bleeding nose and her brain barely registered what she saw as she gently grasped her shoulder, "Ma'am, I'm here to help, can you walk?"
The woman opened her eyes, winced in pain but nodded. Scarlett lifted her out with the woman's arm draped over her shoulder and the two awkwardly made their way off the plane and slowly limped their way away from the wreckage of her plane. After a few hundred yards, the woman's legs gave out and she collapsed...Scarlett easing her fall as she called for help. 'Hawk, I need Medical and back up here!"
The woman rolled on her back, panting as she grasped Scarlett's arm..."My name is Mar-Vel, you have to destroy the core. Before he gets here."
Scarlett knew she was talking about her pursuer, but she asked, "What is the core?"
Mar-Vel took a deep shuddering breath, "The power source on my plane, he cannot get his hands on it."
Scarlett took a breath, "Well since your blood is blue, I'm guessing you are from out of town, am I correct saying the core is from out of town as well?"
Mar-Vel gave her a crooked, tired smile, "Don't miss much do you? The core is..."
At that moment Mar-Vel lurched backwards as she took a direct shot to the chest. Scarlett immediately drew her sidearm and aimed where the shot came from...struggling to focus her aim through the jet fuel smoke.
A figure appeared through the smoke, holding a gun on her. It spoke, "Give me the core and I won't kill you."
Scarlett glanced at Mar-Vel, seeing her sightless eyes staring at her, she was dead. She held her gun focused on the intruder, but nodded her head towards the downed plane, "That core?"
The intruder stopped and lifted his gun, clearly trying to placate her, "Just give me the core and I'll leave you alone."
Scarlett hesitated a brief moment, but then aimed at the power core on Mar-Vel's plane and fired.
It all happened in seeming slow motion. The man that killed Mar-Vel yelled "No!!" Her bullets hit the plane power core and the resulting explosion.
The blast wave hit the killer first and Scarlett briefly saw him almost instantaneously burn into ash, then scatter in the wave, a heartbeat before the blast hit her.
She flew backward, the power and heat blasting over her, but instead of feeling like it was destroying her, it felt instead, like it was infusing her. In that brief moment she knew her life would never be the same. Then all went black
As this drama was playing out, BeachHead and Lifeline were arriving, followed closely by another vehicle. BeachHead witnessed the blast and he and Lifeline reared back for a moment before they recovered to see Scarlett being blasted backwards, and BeachHead saw Scarlett's eyes glowing with a bright white light a moment before she landed, unconscious, flat on her back.
"Shit!! Scarlett!! Hold on! We're here! Lifeline! Check the pilot!" He ran full speed to Scarlett before slowing to a stop, staring in bewilderment at his teammate and muttering, "What the Hell..."
He was standing still and staring as Lifeline reached him, "Pilot is dead, no trace of the other guy. How is...Why is she glowing?"