A/N: I have bad news and bad news. Bad news: cliffhanger last chapter. Also morally gray news: This chapter has a...well, you get the point.

Chapter Nine: Ugh, Not This Guy Again

Songs for this chapter:

"Paul's Dream" by Hans Zimmer

"What's Up Danger- Epic Orchestral Remix" by Samuel Kim

-O-

A bulletproof vest only helped so much, Maren learned. She didn't know if being shot with a 9mm would be better with or without warning. But this? This came without warning.

The reinforced door hit the wall, cracking the drywall. The roar of two more shots roared next. Maren dove behind a computer tower as sparks from damaged circuitry flew into the air around her.

Maren had thought about being captured a few times. How could she not? Especially after her stint as hairless bunny to someone's mad scientist schtick. Her scenarios usually began with being kidnapped, interrogated, tortured, then killed. But it seemed this soldier (and he was a soldier based on his foot positioning) seemed more concerned about efficiency rather than paltry details like: "Who are you, and who are you working for?" and "How long did it take you to get all the wrinkles out of the bespoke linen shirt you're wearing?"

A very long time, thank you very much.

Grabbing her small handgun from her ankle holster, she slid from behind the computer tower, firing off two shots. The big soldier collapsed onto the ground as one bullet shattered through his ankle bone while the other hit the security pad behind him. The emergency safe-guard commenced. The room assumed a fire. A dry, white chemical powder poured from the vents, the carbon dioxide pouring from the vents.

She fired off those two shots as Clint yelled into her ear,

"Kill the elevators, Raggedy!"

Shit, he had to use that name, didn't he?

Banner followed his command with, "Get out now!"

"I. Am. Trying," she ground out.

A fearsome burn flamed across her back and ribs, knocking the breath from her. Something was busted, she just knew it. She hauled herself to her feet, scrambling to the light of her screens through the fogs. She covered her mouth and nose with her shirt collar.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, a sensation at the back of her mind.

Other mutants.

She spun around, fanning away the mist as her eyes watered. Yellow eyes flashed in the emergency reds and flickering fluorescent lights. Feral. Crap, crap, crap. She had a feeling she knew who it was too. Even without the sleaze leaking from his thoughts.

Her voice came braver than she felt, "Oh. It's you,"

Elongated canines came into view first. A smirk lined Sabretooth's face.

"Now, now," Victor tutted, widening his stance, pushing his arms to his side with the palms facing her. She didn't break eye contact even as the claws lengthened. "That's no way to greet an old friend. Is it? You're gonna look so good hanging on my wall. Can't wait to show it to Jimmy,"

He lunged first. Her arms flew up to her chest, crossing at the wrists, energy building at her palms. She thrust her hands outward, an opalescent force field surrounding Sabretooth, a tendril wrapping around his throat. She couldn't hear him, but she was sure his choked words weren't flattering. She held one hand up, reaching behind her with the other.

"I need the elevator!" Clint yelled again, an intense scuffle sounding over the comms.

"I'm a little busy, Barton! Sabretooth decided to crash,"

"That guy? Damn it. Get the elevator, and I'm coming to you. Do. Not. Engage,"

"Mm. A little too late for that,"

Reluctantly, she turned her head, eyes roving the screen. A counter security measure seeped into her downloads. 90 seconds. She had ninety seconds. She brought the keyboard closer as Sabretooth slashed with sharpened claws. The tendril around his throat loosened as her concentration waned. She hadn't done this in so long, no, too long. Why hadn't she trained at least a little bit?

The loading banner finally reached 100% as the screen also read: 'Elevator override: granted.' She powered down the holo-screen, detaching her cord, shoving it back in her pocket, before making unnerving eye contact with an irate Sabretooth.

"Hawkeye, the elevator's yours. Get a move-,"

Another shot rang out above her head, breaking her last thread of concentration. Her containment field fizzled. Sabretooth lunged again as his back-up appeared in the form of four former special forces Oscorp security. Two men in the front opened fire while Sabretooth advanced, claws at the ready. She blocked his first strikes with a force shield, countering with a few reinforced blows of her own. The adamantium bones made any kind of victory impossible. She hesitated, thinking of how she made even Logan falter in training sessions.

He towered over her, pushing against the field she surrounded herself with. "You're still fun, little girl,"

She snarled, "I'm not your little anything," She crossed her arms at the wrists, eyes morphing to a fluorescent purple. "Bad for you. You just really pissed me off,"

Energy charged around her, and she thrust her arms out, a scream burning her throat raw. The purple energy flew parallel to the floor, taking Sabretooth and the guards with it. The computer towers were sliced in half while the walls collapsed at the force. The concussive force sent her four attackers pummeling through titanium-reinforced walls.

She gasped for a full breath, even as Sabretooth struggled to reorient himself, shaking his head as he lay on the ground fifteen meters away. A stabbing pain ricocheted through her side as she dashed from the storage room, leaping over rubble and crumbled bodies. Sabretooth stumbled and staggered to his feet, yanking a piece of metal rebar from his side with a suctioned pop.

A cacophony of voices sounded over the comms, echoing, it seemed from a far distance. The voices remained far away as she tripped over rubble and plaster with a faint ringing in her ears until a certain voice came in loud and demanding.

"Maren!"

"Comm handles!" Clint warned, effort straining his voice.

"Not the time for bureaucracy and the red book,"

She found she didn't care for near-death experiences, and by Peter's tone, she figured he didn't care for her NDEs either.

Her voice was garbled, "Spider-Man?"

He wasn't the Peter she met under Phil Coulson's direction, the one who was brave enough to make everyone forget. No, he had been dragged by the earlobe to MIT by Michelle Jones. This Peter- hers. The one who liked this universe so much he decided to stay, the one with the funny quips and sad brown eyes.

"The one and only, my Raggedy friend. I was in town and thought I'd stop by. Left my formal wear at the house though,"

Gunfire again, and she couldn't discern whether it came from nearby or over Clint's comms.

His voice came next, harsh and derisive. "Raggedy, I need exact coordinates of your location in the building. I'm coming in hot and compromised,"

"Oh, if I had a nickel," Peter said wistfully, the wind breezing past him over the comm lines.

"32nd floor, southwest side." she looked to the side. Support beams blocked the elevator while the ceiling creaked precariously above her. "Building integrity isn't great at the moment. I need a new plan. Does anyone have-?"

Her next question was cut off by a fist making solid contact with her jaw. Not Sabretooth, or her head would have been knocked clear from her shoulders. A petite blonde stood in front of her- the disavowed geneticist from the photos. The fact the woman also, most definitely experimented on bunny rabbits fueled her anger.

She groaned, tasting bitter iron in her mouth. "I really don't have time for you right now!"

A heel kick from memory returned like a lost reflex. The woman stumbled, bumping into Sabretooth, who carelessly tossed her to the side and threw insults that Wolverine would be proud of.

"Ok, then," Barton panted. "New plan,"

"Am I gonna hate it?"

"I mean, I feel like the budget for my birthday present is going to decrease significantly,"

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she centered a field around herself, deflecting Sabre's blows. She slid back against her heels.

"You're going to have to go through the window,"

Her eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder. "The window?! I'm on the 32nd floor. Are you crazy?"

Peter's voice yelled next, "Maren, you aren't going to fall, I'm going to catch you, ok? You can do this, but you have to jump. I'm coming to you right now,"

"Ok," she said, then more strongly, "Ok,"

She turned hardened eyes toward Sabretooth, forcing her field outward, pushing him back far enough to get a running start. Maren spun, sprinting toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Throwing her arms in front of herself, she prayed she had enough mental juice to shatter the window and not splatter against it like a gnat against a windshield.

A force thrummed through her chest, tingling down her arms, shooting from her palms. The glass pane spidered, then splintered, shattering just before she threw herself through the opening. Shielding her eyes from the glass, the tips of Sabre's claws grazed the back of her neck. For a split second, she hung weightless in the air before gravity reared its ugly head. Then, she was falling, tumbling through the air.

Red and blue flashed above her head as she turned, falling with her back toward the ground, reaching madly for a non-existent lifeline. Peter lunged, twisting from the side of the building. She reached the same moment he did for her. Her face twisted in terror.