Chapter Thirteen: Devil's Right Hand
Natasha Romanov
...
...
Okoye and I remain in a tight formation, Shuri both between and behind us as we move cautiously down the halls of the alien ship, weapons drawn and ready. The princess is very much displeased by what she hissed as our "coddling" and "overprotective" behavior, but Okoye and I aren't taking any chances with the young royal stowaway.
We move in silence, reading each other's body language and expressions as if we've been working together for years, me taking the lead each time the hall turns or intersects to check for hostiles before motioning for the others to follow.
Thus far, the ship has proven nearly empty.
I am beginning to suspect that Clint was right, that nearly the entire craft's crew and captives have descended to the planet below, perhaps only a handful of officers stationed to man the ship left behind.
But none of us are leaving until we confirm that our friends are no longer here.
Heavy footsteps clang on the metal grating, the sound echoing down the hall, vibrating in the soles of my leather tactical boots. I immediately draw back, guns raised, darting for the door to my left.
At my proximity, the door slides open with a near silent hiss, and the three of us duck inside, Okoye at the rear, spear aimed at the hallway as my eyes scan the almost pitch black room for signs of life.
None.
The door slides shut, and we wait in the darkness, as those footsteps stride past us, Shuri letting out a small sigh of relief when the sounds fade away. I take a half step further into the room, and it comes to life, red light flickering in thin rivulets across the walls, glaring down from a circular structure in the ceiling.
My stomach plummets.
Thin tables with metal cuffs, two servers embedded into the floor, projecting crimson holographic images above them, and a counter laden with all manner of weapons, machinery, and instruments.
A laboratory, or perhaps their version of a med bay.
"My god," Okoye murmurs, horrified, and I follow her gaze to one of the tables bearing straps and cuffs.
To the dark stain marring its shiny surface.
"Is that-" Shuri goes to take a step closer, and Okoye's arm shoots up, barring her path.
"Blood," I confirm grimly, striding forward to the table. Taking a small digital scanner from one of the pouches at my belt, I raise the instrument to hover centimeters above the stain, long since dried.
A tiny blue light emits from it, scanning the mottled spots with a wide beam. The light shuts off abruptly as it finishes, the data running sequentially on the narrow monitor as it runs the composition through Stark's database to identify exactly what it is.
Although I know I should be asking exactly whose it is.
The images race unbidden through my mind. Wanda, Barnes, Steve, Bruce, Peter, all strapped down to tables like this one, at the mercy of the equipment around me, wielded by the creatures who took them.
All I know for certain is that it can't be Vision's. Androids don't bleed.
I take some comfort in the knowledge that the amount of blood on this table is too little to have been fatal.
It's something.
Please, I find myself thinking as I stare down at the loading data. Please.
I don't know who or what exactly I am pleading for.
A soft beep, and the name flashes across the top of the screen, followed swiftly by hundreds of details pertaining to their blood.
Peter Benjamin Parker.
Aw hell, kid. What did they do to you?
"Whose is it?" murmurs Okoye behind me, her voice soft with concern.
I turn to look at her, at Shuri's wide eyes, and then I shove the scanner back into my belt. "Peter Parker's," I reply tightly, trying and failing to hide the worry in my eyes. "Spiderman."
"Is he-?" Shuri cuts herself off abruptly, as if she's too afraid to finish.
"No. Not from this, anyways. Not enough blood."
I don't say that they very well could have killed him afterwards without spilling a drop. I don't say it, because I can't even bear to think it. God, I'm going to have to tell Stark.
"Let's move," Okoye takes command. "We will find no more answers here."
I nod, letting the general take point, placing a hand on the princess's shoulder to steer her from the room, her brown eyes staring at the table for a moment longer before she turns away.
"Heading for level seven," Scott's voice sounds off in my earpiece. "Looks like they have holding cells up there."
"We're two floors below you," I murmur softly back. "Moving for the command center. Let us know what you find."
The three of us make our way through the maze of dimly lit corridors, keeping Shuri between us, ducking into alcoves or rooms whenever we encounter another one of the aliens.
On one such occasion, as we slip into an extra wide door, I turn and find black and red eyes inches away from my own. I bring my guns up, fingers squeezing on the triggers, but a massive, clawed hand seizes me by the front of my uniform and slams me into the wall so fast, so hard, my grip on my weapons slackens, and they clatter to the floor.
I bring my legs up, wrapping them around the alien's arm that's pinning me as I clamp my hands around its wrist in the same moment, wrenching my body in two different directions that has the alien's wrist snapping.
It shrieks, the sound animalistic, layered beneath its mask as sounds of a fight echo behind me in the hall. The alien jerks away, and I drop to the ground.
It draws a spear from its back with its uninjured hand, lunging for me.
It stops, stumbling backwards and arching its back, hissing, and as I look up at it, brows furrowing, I spot the Wakandan princess emerging over its shoulder, face fierce, legs wrapped around its middle as she unsheathes the alien's second spear and drives it into its back.
The alien lets out a choked roar, thrashing so hard, Shuri drops to the ground. It whirls, advancing on her, staggering with the spear still embedded beneath its armored shoulder blade. I'm on my feet, gripping that spear and gritting my teeth as I yank it sharply out. Another shriek of agony before I thrust the spear into its throat, cutting off the sound abruptly and sending the alien crashing to the ground.
I reach out a hand, and Shuri takes it, getting to her feet as Okoye enters the room, black blood splattering her face and Wakandan spear.
"Are you alright?" she demands, her sharp eyes boring into the teenager, who nods.
"I'm fine."
"Not just an inventor," I comment, arching a brow.
Shuri grins. "Surprised?"
"Not in the slightest."
I turn to Okoye, about to suggest we drag the second body in the hall to this room to hide it, but the Wakandan general's face has gone slack, her gaze looking past me into the room.
Frowning, I turn, and as I do so, a horrific chill starts at the top of my scalp and scurries its way down my back.
We have found ourselves in a massive hall, arched ceilings of black stone above us, a stained, grated floor beneath us. And running along the walls, in cases, on plaques and shelves, strewn on tables or hung from the ceiling… are trophies.
No gold, no silver or bronze to be found here.
These are war trophies, hunting trophies.
Clenching my jaw, I move further into the room, my movements slow, deliberate, eyes scanning over every inch of this place. The horror of it encasing me like a second, icy skin.
Heads mounted on the wall, different species, races, some more human than others, all watching me with the same glassy eyes...all manner of weapons ranging from primitive, to technologically advanced to maybe even magical in origin; scepters, guns, bombs, sleek, circular blades, warhammers...armor and limbs and horns and pieces…
The answers are here in this grim hall of death, more despicable than any of the scenarios my brain had conjured; the aliens' motives, who they are, why they took our teammates and left us behind.
They're hunters, going from planet to planet like a plague, taking their strongest defenders, and then hunting them down like the intergalactic predators they are.
The others aren't here. They're down below on that planet, fighting for their lives as they are hunted down by some of the worst monsters in the universe. And we need to get down there now. We need to send word to Stark and his landing party telling them what we know, warning them what to expect. We need to-
Okoye has moved past me deeper into the room, and I see her rigid back, all of her muscles tensed and trembling as she stares at something I can't see.
Brows knitting together, I move to her side, and then I understand.
A uniform is pinned to the jagged stone of the wall, slashed and stained with blood. It's old, the familiar colors faded, the design altered, but very similar to the one Okoye herself wears. A Wakandan uniform, belonging to one of the Dora Milaje that was stolen from Earth fifty years ago.
Okoye's dark eyes are burning as they bore into it, her knuckles white from the grip on the staff in her trembling hand. Tears roll silently down her cheeks, her full lips quivering from the horror, the grief, the rage at the injustice her people suffered.
It could have belonged to her aunt. There's no way of knowing for sure, but I don't think it would have mattered. This belonged to one of her people, the dark stains and torn fabric telling a story to horrific to imagine. This is proof of their fate, the fate of her mother's sister.
"They," she starts in a low voice, the words biting and beyond furious. "Will suffer for this. I will make sure of it."
I catch sight of Shuri's grim face behind Okoye's shoulder. "We will," she corrects, voice shaking. "They will regret ever setting foot in Wakanda."
"We need to move," I say reluctantly, turning from the garish display. "Get to the command center, contact the others."
"Holding cells are empty," Scott informs me. "Heading to you guys."
"Copy that," I reply, my voice more hoarse than I intended it to be. "Meet you at command. Be prepared for trouble."
"Always am."
I take a breath to collect myself, watching the fury building within the Wakandans, fury that they will hone into a force so destructive, I won't dare be standing in their way when it unleashes.
I step away, giving them their space as I lift my wrist, twisting one of the black Kimoyo beads resting there, and the Wakandan runes light up as an incredibly life-like, holographic bust of Tony Stark hovers above it.
He frowns at me. "My god this tech is weird. Your head is floating above my arm."
"How far are you from the planet's surface?"
"Just broke through the atmosphere. Why? You got a better landing point for us?"
"Not yet, but we will when we breach the command center."
"So you're calling because you miss me?"
"I'm calling to give you a heads up on what to expect down there," I reply, casting a glance over at Shuri, who has placed a hand on Okoye's shoulder. My face is grim, my voice low and quiet as I turn back to Stark. "These guys are predators, Tony. The track you down, murder you, and take trophies kind. And they've been doing this for hundreds of years."
His eyes sharpen. "Are you telling me our people are being hunted down like prized elk?"
"Elk have it better. Something tells me these aliens have a lot less mercy and a lot more savagery when it comes to hunting," I frown, my eyes roaming over the damaged weapons, the torned, stained armors and suits.
"I guess it just turned into open season then," Stark says darkly. "And I'm a mean shot."
"Tony, there's something else."
A pause. "What?"
"We found blood in one of their medical bays, not enough to be a lethal amount, but-"
"Whose?"
I nearly wince at the deceptively calm way he asks. "It's Peter's."
Tony's eyes fall shut, his jaw clenching as he sucks in a breath through his nose, letting it out in a sharp sigh. I can tell that was the answer he was expecting and the one he was most dreading.
I should have made Scott tell him when we got to command.
"There's no reason to think he isn't still alive," I assure him. "They wouldn't take him from Earth to kill him on their ship, not when they could hunt him."
"Thank you, Romanov. Knowing that the fifteen year old I am responsible for is running for his life in an alien jungle being hunted down like a goddamn animal is much more reassuring."
"It should be. If he's running, then he's still breathing."
Tony glares up at me. "Get me a damn location."
And then he's gone.
Steve Rogers
I find tracks near the stream rushing down the mountainside.
Though night has fallen, the red lights of the plant life illuminate my way, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. The brush and foliage are too dense to make out who the tracks could belong to, but there's a path cutting through some of the larger, thicker bushes, where someone or several someones trampled their way through.
I know immediately it can't be the aliens, the signs marking the trees and plant life not tall enough. I also don't think they would be this careless.
The kind of carelessness that maybe, hopefully, Banner would leave in his wake.
I follow it, my thoughts circling back to Wanda and Vision, Bucky, Peter, Bruce. I feel all their lives like they are piled up on my back. Some captain I am. Three of my teammates are still missing, maybe injured or dead, one is shot, and the other is frantically working to keep him alive.
I've let this happen, but damn it, nothing else is happening on my watch. I'm going to find the others, bring them back, and save Vision. Then I'm getting us all the hell out of here.
The tracks become a little harder to follow, enough so that I have to actively look for signs of someone passing through, the indentation in the damp soil, the crushed stalk of a tropical reed, a snapped branch at head level.
I move deeper into the jungle, the ground beneath me sloping sharply up, the trees growing denser, but thinner as I go.
Then the signs stop completely.
I double back, pick up the trail only to lose it in the same spot, even the most subtle of clues vanishing abruptly as if whoever had made it had simply faded out of existence. Captured, maybe? Or…
Or this is a trap, set for someone who might follow such signs to help out an ally or to hunt an enemy down, a trick of clues leading up to a narrow spot, perfect for an ambush.
The moment the thought comes to me, I feel the prick of something sharp pressing against the base of my neck, sinking hard enough that a sting erupts across my skin, and a trickle of wet warmth slides down to hit the collar of my suit.
Slowly, I raise my hands up in surrender, staring grimly out at the black and red jungle before me.
Damn it, Rogers. You let yourself fall into a trap.
My muscles stiffen as I prepare to move, ready to spin and seize my shield in the same moment, but suddenly, the weight of my shield is gone as it is torn from the holster on my back.
"Well, well, well. I have to say, I am surprised to see you here, Captain."
My brows furrow, every cell in my body going rigid at that voice.
"Are you surprised to see me?"
The pressure at the back of my neck vanishes, and as I whip my head to the side, I see him, striding out from behind me, dagger still aimed in my direction, my shield held carelessly in his free hand, a familiar smirk etched into his face. Red light from the jungle plants cast him in a wicked glow.
"Ah, your expression gives it away. You are surprised," Loki grins. "I have to say, of all the beings I expected to fall for that trap, you weren't one of them."
"How are you here?" I demand, so shocked I can barely think.
He gives me a quizzical look, his lips still curved with amusement. "I thought that part was painfully clear. Or did your monster not include me in his tale?"
"You'd better start making sense, before I-"
"Before you what?" Loki arches a brow. "I have your precious shield. You're unarmed, within the trap that I myself have laid, and completely at my mercy. What could you possibly do?"
He's still talking when I activate the powerful magnet installed in the holster encircling my left arm, and the shield is ripped from his hand. Loki stumbles forward, eyes widening as I jump into the air, spinning as I catch the shield and throwing it hard the moment my feet hit the ground.
Loki makes a choked sound in the back of his throat as he dodges it, ducking just in time as it sails past him to embed itself into a tree with a sharp thunk, and as he straightens, smirking, I slam my fist into his face.
He crashes to the ground, blood spurting from his nose onto his pale skin as I activate the magnet again, securing my shield to my arm as it flies back to me.
"That," I finally answer. "I could do that."
I tower over him, and he begins scooting back through the plants, that goddamn smirk finally gone from his face. "Next time you're threatening someone, don't take your knife from their neck."
"Duly noted," he says, then in a flash of movement, flings his dagger straight for me, the metal glinting in a beam of crimson light. I shift to the side, dodging it, and when I look down at him, he's gone.
Straightening, I see that there are now six Lokis in the shadows amongst the trees around me, grinning as he holds up his hands as if to say, what did you expect?
"There's something different about you," he muses, all six of him beginning to circle. "Something much darker than the righteous, spangled Steve Rogers I encountered all those years ago."
"You'd know all about darker, wouldn't you?"
"I'm the God of Mischief, not darkness."
"So murdering hundreds of innocent people is your idea of mischievous?" I shoot back, fists clenching.
He smirks again, opening his mouth to speak when-
"Enough, Loki."
My gaze snaps in the direction of the unfamiliar, deep voice to stare at the dark skinned man emerging from the trees, eyes glowing amber, a massive sword slung across his back. Another hostile? Has to be if he's working with Loki.
"Steve Rogers," the man says, walking straight through one of Loki's apparitions to extend a hand.
I raise an eyebrow. "And you are?'"
"Forgive me. I am Heimdall, Watcher of the Worlds, or I was before the destruction of Asgard. Now I am simply a servant to the crown. I have seen many of your triumphs and trials on Midgard."
My eyes flick to Loki, leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest as the last of his doubles fade to nothing. If Asgard was destroyed, I can guess who was behind that, and if this man claiming to be a god has called himself king, then I am surrounded by enemies.
I look back at Heimdall. Enemies who've been watching me.
"Steve?"
I whirl at the third voice. "Thor?"
Not the Thor I remember, with short hair, makeshift eyepatch, and sans hammer, but the massive man standing there is undoubtedly him.
"Steve!" Thor lets out a laugh, arms thrown wide as his strides eat up the distance between us, and he wraps me up in a bear of a hug, slapping my back for good measure.
I let out a breathy laugh of my own, confused as hell, but genuinely glad to see a friendly face after everything that's happened. Thor releases me, stepping back, a grin stretched across his face, wrinkling the skin around his eyepatch.
"It is good to see you, my friend!" he exclaims, clamping his hands on my shoulders. "The beard suits you, nearly as much as mine does me."
I'm not even given a chance to ask one of the billion questions racing through my head.
"Now," he says, clapping his hands together and looking around. "Where is Banner?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Thor frowns. "You lost Banner?"
"I didn't-"
"He can't be far. Where is Stark and your ship?"
"Ship?"
"Yes of course. You did come here on a ship, did you not?"
"I did," I eye him strangely. "But we weren't on it long before we were gassed and thrown into the jungle."
Thor stares at me with his single eye, uncomprehending.
Loki lets out a derisive laugh. "This is just too perfect," he says, pushing off the tree. "Sending your beast off on a rescue mission to get aid from Earth's Mightiest Heroes is going spectacularly, brother."
"Loki-" Thor warns, but Loki keeps going.
"Thank the All Fathers, we are saved," he proclaims dramatically, his expression seething. "Look at where you placed your precious hope, straight into their incompetent hands."
It clicks. "The ship that attacked you, it was the same one that attacked us on Earth."
"Did Banner not tell you what happened?" Thor frowns as I turn back to him.
"Bruce hit his head so hard there's a crater in Kentucky the size of a shopping mall," I reply. "Woke up with no idea how he got there. He knew your ship was attacked, but beyond that…"
I watch Thor's expression change, becoming grim and resigned before it shifts into something more calculating. "So the Dravec came for Earth next as I feared. You are not part of a rescue mission, but in need of one yourself. How many of you are here?" he asks.
"Six including me. Vision, Wanda, Bruce, Bucky, and Peter."
"I do not know this Bucky...or Peter. Are they enhanced?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. How many of there are you?" I ask, turning my attention back to Loki and Heimdall.
"Just the three of us," Thor replies, his voice heavy. "Any others either fled in the escape pods or were killed here on this planet."
I look at him, registering that the patch covering his eye is made of leather from his own armor, his skin covered in sweat and dirt and bruises. I shake my head, millions of questions rattling around my brain, and I finally ask. "What happened to you? What happened to your eye? Your world? Why is he," I point at Loki. "not locked up in a prison where he belongs?"
Loki eyes me, his lips curving on one side as he wipes away at the dried flecks of blood from his nose. "Go on, brother. Tell him."
"It is a long tale," Thor sighs. "But Loki is...a changed man. He fought alongside us against our sister, the Goddess of Death, and helped save our people."
Sister. Goddess of Death. Asgard's destruction…
I'm not even going to touch that right now.
"A changed man," I repeat doubtfully, glancing over at him. Sure, and pigs can fly. "Thor, you know what he's done-"
"I do. And I'm not excusing any of it," he sends a glare towards his brother. "But he has proven where his heart lies, and right now, if we are going to survive this, we have no choice but to stick together."
I don't like it. I don't like that gleam in his eyes, and I could never trust a man who had willingly slaughtered innocents, who would have enslaved billions beneath his will. But Thor has a point. Whether I like it or not, Loki could be an asset in this situation, even if it's just as a way to slow the alien hunters down so that the rest of my team can make it out of here.
"How did you survive this long?"
Thor looks affronted. "Through great feats of strength and cunning. It takes a lot more than a couple hundred Dravec hunters to bring down the mighty Thor."
"You were stabbed on the second night," Heimdall points out.
"Yes...well...point is, I'm still alive, so…"
"You don't look stabbed," I remark. He doesn't hold himself like he's nursing an injury.
"When a powerful Asgardian such as myself is gravely injured, we can enter a deeply meditative state to enhance our healing," Thor explains. "I was unconscious for three days."
"How did you manage to avoid the hunters?" I look to Heimdall.
"I kept him hidden," Loki raises his chin. "Kept him safe from being discovered while his body was in such a state of fragility."
Thor glares at him. "That is a lie."
"I saved your life."
"You buried me alive!" Thor snaps, and the corners of Loki's lips curve almost imperceptibly up.
"Which kept you out of the clutches of the Dravec," he insists, his face the picture of innocence, though every single one of us knows better. "You're welcome."
"We've lingered out in the open too long," Heimdall remarks, his strange, glowing eyes searching the jungle around us. "And we haven't been nearly as cautious as we should have."
"Vision's hurt," I tell Thor, fresh worry surging through my chest. I've been gone too long. "Wanda's done what she could, but I need to find Bruce. It's bad."
Thor straightens. "I will aid you in your search. Heimdall and Loki can helpWanda with Vision until our return."
I stiffen, the word no on my lips.
Wanda can take care of herself, and with that power burning inside her, I believe that she could take both Asgardians with her eyes shut. But Loki is a murderer, and Heimdall is a stranger.
"I will vouch for them, my friend," Thor places a hand on my shoulder. "No harm will befall Wanda or Vision, on my honor."
"It's not your honor I'm questioning."
Loki has enough sense to keep a neutral expression on his face, knowing better than to test me on this. I may not be a god, but if it came down to it, I could make sure he never leaves this jungle alive, Thor's brother or no.
Finally I nod, seeing no other options, and then I look to Heimdall. "They're sheltering in a hollowed out log about fifteen miles east of here."
"If anyone can find them, Heimdall can," Thor assures me. "Now come, we have a hunt of our own."
Peter Parker
BLAM!
Heart in my throat, I drop to the ground, a wave of heat and searing light blazing over my back.
Crap, that was close.
I scramble to my feet, firing a web up towards a branch of a tree, retracting it into the shooter on my wrist and shooting up into the air. The moment my feet hit the branch I'm leaping for another, the whine and crack of another energy blast sounding off. Seconds later the branches behind me splinter apart, shards of wood slapping against my back as I swing for another tree.
It was too much to hope for that the four aliens, (Dalek? No, that's from Dr. Who, you idiot. Dravec! That's what Dr. Banner called them), would only have the daggers embedded in their forearms.
No. These ones are armed to the teeth, including plasma rifles that should only belong on old games like Halo 3.
I swing higher, leaping from branch to branch, hoping to disappear within the thick, glossy leaves of the jungle canopy. It feels like I've been running forever, deeper into the jungle, farther back down the mountain, but the four hunters pursue me tirelessly.
A massive stitch in my side makes it hard to breathe, my lungs and legs and arms burning from the strain of so much violent movement in so short a time with little rest or food or water.
"Come on," I hiss, throwing myself to the right behind the wide trunk as two more blasts shatter the branches around me.
I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, but I have no choice. I slow down or stop moving, and I die. Pretty good motivation to keep running. At least I know I have led all four of them away from Bucky and Dr. Banner, that I've given them a chance.
Oh man, the looks on their faces. Dr. Banner's, white with panic when he realized what I planned to do, the sharp fury on Bucky's…
If the Dravec don't kill me, Bucky definitely will.
Warning blares like clanging church bells through my body, but I don't move fast enough. A sharp whine fills the air, and a searing heat rips across the outside of my left arm as I throw myself to the side.
I cry out in pain, at the burn radiating through my body, the force of the blast violent enough that my feet slip on the next branch I land on, and I fall forward head first. I try to right myself midair, but my side connects with a wide bough, the impact driving the air from my lungs and sending pain reverberating across my ribs.
Before my body can slide off the branch, my hands shoot out to seize it, pulling myself up with more effort than I care to admit.
Come on, Parker, you have to MOVE!
More blasts fill the air, but I'm already moving, one hand briefly pressing against my aching ribs before I fire off another web. Instead of swinging forward, I swing around a massive tree, taking me out of sight for a moment.
I make a quick decision as I disappear behind the curve of the trunk, dropping to the ground and diving left in a huge entanglement of man-sized roots. Scrambling inside, I crawl as fast as I can through the tight maze of arching, twisting roots until I am as deep inside as I can manage.
I tuck myself into a tight ball, clamping my hands over my masked mouth to stifle my heavy breathing, switching my lenses to thermal as my wide eyes dart to all the gaps in the roots, where I can see the dark jungle beyond.
Please work, please work, please work!
My heart is beating so rapidly in my chest I can't even make out the rhythm of it, my sides throbbing in time to my galloping pulse.
I feel like the rabbit, cornered in its burrow by foxes. Hadn't MJ said in Biology once that rabbits can get so worked up their hearts would burst?
Mine is so very close to bursting.
Racing footsteps, snapping branches, hissing breaths, thundering in my ears, competing with the hammering of my heart.
I'm a rabbit-I'm a rabbit-I'm a rabbit-
The footsteps stop, and a tightly coiled silence descends.
My eyes dart back and forth beneath my lenses, shakily switching to night vision as I hold my breath and wait. I fully expect to see a pair of eyes suddenly staring back at me between the gaps of the maze of roots, or the boot of an alien as it discovers my hiding spot. My ears and eyes are straining, my muscles so tense they are nearly vibrating.
Silence...quiet…
Nothing…
Did...did I really lose them? Are they gone? Did my idiotic plan actually work?
Slowly, my pulse begins to drift somewhere back to a normal pace, albeit still pretty elevated, and my muscles relax just enough to take the edge off.
I let my hands drop from my mouth, but I don't let out a sigh of relief yet, not with how quiet the jungle still is.
God, I'd really let myself freak out there for a minute.
I mean, I think anyone would start to lose it in these circumstances, but still. I'm a rabbit? Really? That's where my mind instinctually went? I grit my teeth, tempted to roll my eyes in disgust at myself.
Get it together, Peter.
If you're a rabbit, you're that terrifying, bloodthirsty one from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Yeah, there we go!
Look out world, I'm a rabbit. I'm that rabbit.
Bolstered by my thoughts, I shift forward, placing my hands on the damp earth to peer out one of the holes into the jungle.
I jerk back with a strangled cry as a dagger thrusts through the gap towards my face, my head slamming against the trunk of the tree. The dagger is yanked back, and I throw myself down, scrambling under and over roots as fast as I can.
Behind me, small explosions erupt, heat blooming across my back, light illuminating my night vision almost to the point of blindness as chunks and splinters of wood rain down on me. I flatten myself to the ground, covering my head as another explosion tears through the roots in front of me.
My spidey senses are going haywire, danger coming from every direction, but a sharp flare of it comes from directly behind me just before a hand wraps around my ankle and yanks.
Fear and adrenaline surge through me in tandem, sharpening my senses, and before I can even begin to think of what to do, my body instinctively acts for me. I go limp, letting the alien hunter drag me harshly from the smoldering remains of my hiding place, and the moment I am clear of the debris, I move.
Rolling onto my back, I take less than a second to register the alien hunter leaning over me, my ankle in one hand, unsheathed dagger beneath its other. Then I kick up with my free leg, my foot impacting with the outside of its wrist and driving it towards its chest.
The alien's eyes widen, a hoarse inhale of breath muffled by its mask as it releases me, staggering back with the hand I just kicked still pressed against its chest.
That's when I realize that the Dravec's wrist dagger is embedded there.
Oh my god.
I'd stabbed it.
A horrifying chill stabs across my body like thousands of needles, my stomach lurching as I register just what I did. The alien stumbles back, tripping over a chunk of burning tree root to fall to its back, its chest heaving as it reaches for its wrist with its free hand.
There's not even time for me to flip the hell out, because there are two more hunters surging for me, the fourth and final one nowhere in sight.
I roll, narrowly avoiding an energy blast from a gun, leaping to my feet only to backflip up into the air, dodging a second, a third, a fourth blast as I land sideways in a crouch against the trunk of the tree only to kick off of it and dive back to the ground.
My hands shoot up to grip the base of the blade as a spear jabs for my shoulder, my muscles tensing as I push back with all my might, the force of the alien's strength forcing me to stumble away until my back is against the tree. I grit my teeth, my arms shaking with the force of holding the spear away from my body, the Dravec's eyes narrowing as its shoulders tense, prepared to give a mighty shove.
The moment it moves, I do too, releasing my grip on the spear and spinning to my left. Pain rips across my upper right arm, but the spear embeds itself into the tree where I just stood, and I'm leaping into the air. My feet land on the spear's handle, the metal bending beneath my weight before surging up, sending my body with it, and I use the momentum to deliver a spinning kick straight into the alien's face.
I land on the ground in a crouch, chest heaving, heart pounding wildly as the Dravec flies back, crashing through the bushes.
Warning crashes through the base of my neck, and I straighten in a flash, my hands shooting up as a black chain is thrust over my head, yanking back when it reaches my neck. I grab it with both hands, my palms the only thing preventing me from being strangled as weight presses against my back.
What the hell?! Why did these aliens get all the upgraded weapons?! The spears and built in daggers were bad enough!
I cry out through clenched teeth, choking at the pressure of my hands digging into my windpipe, my palms burning as the metal chain links press into the material of my suit.
The Dravec hisses in my ear, its armored chest hard and unyielding against my back.
My eyes lift, widening as the alien I'd kicked stalks for me, both of its wrist blades unsheathed, its eyes glowering.
Oh god.
Blades raising, surging, too close, too close-
I tighten my grip on the chain, using all my strength to bend forward, then slam back, letting my weight fall against the alien holding me, moving with its momentum as it pulls back on the chain at my throat. In the same moment, I draw my legs up to my chest, the Dravec's back arching, lifting me higher off my feet.
The thrusting daggers miss me by inches, stabbing just underneath my back, and then both of my feet slam into the second alien's face, sending it flying back a second time.
Then the Dravec holding me is bowing forward, overcompensating as it tries to right itself, and, hands still gripping the chain around my neck, I let my feet hit the ground, my body bending forward and sending the hunter soaring over my back.
It flips over me, landing hard on the ground as I stumble away, gasping in a large breath as the pressure against my throat is finally, finally lifted.
I shift into a defensive stance, raising my webshooters as both of the aliens push to their feet, fury written in their eyes.
But I forgot something.
I forgot about the fourth hunter.
BAM!
Pain erupts in the side of my face, shooting up my cheekbone, across my eye, into my skull, the hit sending my body crashing into the ground as my vision blurs with green and grey fuzzy spots.
I'm knocked senseless for a moment, my body going limp, my head going light as the bones of my face ache and throb and send stabbing bolts of pain into my brain. I gasp for air, trying to reorient myself, knowing I need to move, I need to get up, to run, to fight-
My mask is ripped from my head, a sharp prod of the spear rolling me onto my back.
I blink up, the world tilting, undulating around me with every throb of my skull. Without my night vision, the jungle is a mass of black and crimson, the majority of the light coming from the burning roots several yards away. Silhouetted against the light is the biggest alien hunter I have ever seen, the spines running down its back glinting and flickering.
I can't make out most of its features, not with my vision blurring, not with the darkness and the distant light wiping most of them out.
But I can see its eyes. I can see the blood red irises glowing dimly, emerging from the inky black like burning beacons.
A bitter, metallic taste floods my tongue, and I distantly register that the inside of my cheek is bleeding, the skin torn from the punch to my face. I swallow it down, my chest heaving with tight breaths, my heart raging in my chest as my overused muscles tremble uselessly.
The two remaining hunters join the one towering over me, weapons returned to their hands.
This is it, I realize with a sinking sensation, my body becoming impossibly heavy, like I am falling straight through the earth, even as my insides tighten, clench with indescribable panic.
They're going to kill me.
They're going to kill me and take my mask or my head as a souvenir.
I'm going to die here.
One of the smaller alien hunters steps forward, knife raised, ready to do the honors of finishing me off.
My fingers spasm, digging into the damp soil as I try to shove myself up with shaking arms, my head spinning, my body still trying to fight back even though my brain knows I am done for.
A heavy boot slams into my chest, driving the air from my lungs and pinning me back to the ground.
I wheeze, my eyes growing warm and wet as my fingers weakly scrabble at the boot of the massive Dravec who'd taken me down. "Please," I choke out through a mouthful of blood, the droplets spraying the dark metal. "Don't-"
The smaller alien lunges for me, wrist knife raised, but in a flash of movement, the one pinning me shoots out its arm, seizing the other just beneath its blade. The smaller one hisses beneath its mask, but shrieks in pain when the larger Dravec's grip tightens painfully against its arm before shoving it away.
They begin to converse in their strange, sharp language, the one pinning me gesturing back towards the jungle, back towards the way we came, back towards the cave…toward Bucky and Dr. Banner…
Oh god.
Oh no.
The smaller aliens submit to the larger one, nodding their agreement as it steps off of me, striding back to the tree where I had tried to hide.
Trying to catch my breath, trying to convince my failing body to just move, damn it, I watch as it yanks the spear from the trunk of the tree, turning to the alien lying on the ground, the one I'd inadvertently stabbed.
It's still crumpled there, chest heaving, black blood pooling around it as it wheezes, raising a hand to its comrade in supplication.
The Dravec leader raises the spear and drives it into the alien's bleeding chest, twisting it sharply in a move so sudden, I barely register it.
I stare, blinking away the tears still streaming down my dirty, sweaty face.
It's dead. Its leader had just...just…killed it.
I can't help the small stirrings of pity that wind their way in my chest, even though the alien had tried to kill me, even though it had probably killed before, even though I had played a part in its death.
I just keep seeing the shaking hand raising toward its leader, keep imagining the pleading in its eyes before the Dravec had shoved the spear into its chest.
I shouldn't feel sorry for it. I shouldn't.
But I do.
The Dravec leader stalks back towards me, tossing the spear carelessly to the ground. Its crimson eyes bore into mine, oozing satisfaction, victory, burning with bloodlust, with the thrill of the hunt.
I can see my fate in those eyes.
It isn't going to kill me. Not yet. Not when I can be used to draw out Dr. Banner and Bucky, or any other Avengers that can hear my screams when it tortures me.
Not when I am going to be bait.
I can see it in its eyes.
I'm going to wish that it had just killed me.
A/N: *Pietro Maximoff's voice*: You didn't see that coming?
XD
SO...lots to discuss. lol
I wanna apologize for the long wait, and the long wait that will undoubtedly follow this update. I don't know if any of you have heard of the Carr fire that hit Northern California, but it's the seventh most devastating fire to ever hit our state, it's larger than Philadelphia, has destroyed nearly 900 homes, and killed six people. It's bad enough that the governor declared a state of emergency, and the president sent federal aid. That's my city, guys. Luckily, I am on the eastern side of the city away from the fire, but it got really terrifying there or awhile, and we've had three families who got evacuated come to stay with us, as well as three additional dogs, two cats, and a fish. For several days we stayed inside out of the horrendous smoke, glued to our phones for updates on evacuations and the fire that doubled in size every night. Our city has never been so devastated, and the fire, though the firefighters are finally making some progress on containing it, is still raging on. Really scary stuff. So many friends lost their homes, so we could really use all the prayers and good thoughts we can get over here! Thanks for being so understanding about the delay!
Anyways back to the story!
Thor! Loki! Heimdall! Wish granted, guys! They are alive and have officially entered the CMFU ;) OMG I LOVED WRITING THEM. SO FUN. I hope you guys enjoyed that scene, as I thoroughly enjoyed writing it! SO excited to bring them into the fic at last, as it's a scene I've been imagining for quite some time. Things are really starting to come together as we build to an epic climax of Aliens vs Avengers.
For those of you who looked up the word dravec! Kudos, and thank god for google translate, amiright? I was not aware there were two translations, so that was a neat surprise! The translation that made me select the word dravec as the name for the alien race was "predator". I couldn't resist!
And now you guys know why I apologized at the end of the last chapter. This cliffhanger is mean, I know. But, at least Thor and Loki are in the picture? That's something, right? Lol. Also longest chapter so far!
DarylDixon'sLover: We shall see!
Twylght: Riddick would be sick! lol! No Riddick in this fic, but maybe a few extra Avengers will make him happy. Glad you guys are enjoying!
Heroes21: Lol, right?
Luckias: Nailed it! Thank you! :)
sparklydog9: I KNOW
Kirby Lane: EEEEE I LOVE when people list their favorite moments/lines. That makes me so happy. Thank you so so so much! Sorry about the addiction, I TOTALLY understand the frantic checking for updates. Been there! I'll do my best to get the next one out as soon as I can!
Jeyfeather1234: Happy belated birthday! Glad I could give you a present. :)
cargumentluv: LOL NO DONT DIE XD
Guest: :D
KiernanCo: Glad you loved Scott! I loved writing him. And your spider-baby didn't die! so yay! lol
LoonyLovegood1981: Thanks so much! Editing my book is going very well. :) Glad you liked the Hulk parts! That was a fun challenge to get into! Thank you!
Puppens101: YAY! So glad there is so much love!
Emily F.6: :D No problem! And yay for Thor being ok!
StarStepper: THanks so much! Yep Raven Rising! I can't wait to get it out to you guys. LOL VOLDEMORT. I thought the same thing when writing it. XD Thank you! Writing the Hulk was fun, and so was writing Thor and Heimdall and Loki! Glad no one saw that one coming!
PhoenixFlair13: Had NO idea that it also translated into Hindi! That's cool! I intended it to be the Slovak "predator" but that's cool too!
QuillandScroll: So interesting that it has two very different meanings!
Guest: Thank you! Loved writing him!
Krystal Fox: Yaaaaay! I love hearing that! :D
Thebookworm33: *tears* WOW. Thank you SO much. Like, your review put the biggest, goofiest smile on my face. Your review meant so much, and I'm so glad you felt what all the characters felt and that you love this series so much! I adore these characters, so it means a lot when you guys get invested in my rendition of them too!
Kairianna864: Right?! Someone needs to put a leash on that kid
GinaBoo: I know! Dang that self sacrificing idiot! LOL. Thank you so much! I was trying to think of a way to bring in the Thor crew while keeping Ragnarok in canon and without using Thanos, so this ended up working out perfectly! And yes, shit is about to hit the fan very shortly. XD
AppleSpongeCake: I am! :D Super excited about it. And yeah...I'm cruel and twisted. I'm aware. Mucho apologies!
kittymyth96: Thor and Heimdall are doing pretty good! Peter...yeah he's in for it a bit...:D
Guest: So far so good on the Bucky front! lol
Guest: Sorry about the delay!
Guest: I know! Darn that kid! And yay! I'll be sure to post on here if I ever get my book published! That would be the dream! I'm so glad you love this series, I love writing it, even while working on my own original work.
NCC-1701-Z: Ok, that would be SICK. Wish I had known the alternate translation, I would have totally worked that in! The Borg always freaked me out. So glad you are having fun and enjoying this series!
EleanorGardner: Glad you liked Scott's section! And I could post the synopsis for my book on the next author's note if you'd like :)
starfire25: Thanks!
gandalf537: OMG. Like, O.M.G. Thank you! I'll try and post more updates about my book on my instagram as I go! :) And I'm glad you liked the Hulk's POV! It was so fun and challenging! Ahhh I'm just so glad you are enjoying all the different parts and hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!
Andy Frost: EEEEE I love that comment! ANytime anyone says it's like a movie, I get all the feels. MARVEL WHO. I died. I love Scott too, and I'm loving that everyone is slowly coming together! It's gonna be epic! And yes, the next fic is called Hunted, and you are not being punked. ;) It will be very different from this story, but things that happen here will come into play. Can't say more without giving it away, but I think you guys will like it.
Thebookworm33: AGAIN, because you left several reviews that made my heart so happy. OMG MY HEART THO. ALL THE FEELS THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH! *CRIES* I hope so badly to get my book published, and I will definitely let you guys know if I ever get there :D I also have always loved ravens. ANd I'm so glad you are so thoroughly enjoying the CMFU! I enjoy writing so much, I have since I was little and I probably always will. :) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR AMAZING REVIEW AND FANGIRLING AND ENTHUSIASM. You're amazing and I love you. THank you for your support!
Shadow-wolf78: Thanks!
TeamCaptain2016: Ah thank you so much! I should go make a note on the end of Silent Night so people make sure to come here after. :) Thank you for all the reviews you left me! I also loved Scott's ice cream conversation. so fun to write. And a spinoff story of babysitting would be absolutely delightful. THANK YOU!
momocandy2: AH OMG THANK YOU! :D
Shoyzz: Thank you so much! And gaaaah I know I am so mean, and I keep making even meaner cliffhangers! And yay Scott! He's so much fun to write! Glad you are enjoying!
screechyfangirl: Ahhh sorry! :D :D :D :D
Guest: Sorry it took so long! lol!
The Striking Storms: Thanks so much! :)
GUest: THANK YOU! I'm so glad you're enjoying this series! I totally know what you mean. I wasn't as in love with alllll of these characters until I started writing them, and then I found a new appreciation and love for every single one of them by playing with them and putting them in my own little world. Also love big brother Bucky. It's so fun. AND YAY THOR! :D
Guys the amount of reviews for the last chapter was unreal. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support for my writing, this series, and my original novel I am hard at work on. I adore you guys, and I'm glad you love the CMFU as much as I do. :) Review Squad, you guys are out of this world.
COMING UP
Chapter Fourteen: Come in Stranger
Wanda has some unexpected visitors, Tony and his team finally touch ground on the alien planet, ready to kick names and take ass, (XD), and Peter Parker finds himself in the clutches of the Dravec...but he might not be alone.