I shot up from my resting position, heart racing all over again. What about my father? They knew where he was, they'd been in contact with him. I needed to see him. It was definitely a trap, but what else could I do about it?
"Whoa, where are you going?" Clint asked, straightening up as he made his way over, storing the arrow he'd been ready to shoot.
I'd gone straight for the training area in the tower, grabbing a knife and handgun from storage. "To see my dad." I grabbed some extra ammunition without hesitation, not slowing down although I knew there'd be some protest.
"Shit." He sighed, knowing that any legitimate point he made would be discarded. With a few steps he was beside me, reaching for another set of arrows and his own knife and handgun. "Well, you're not going alone."
At that, I paused. I couldn't say that I knew the archer too well and here he was getting ready for a suicide mission without question. "You really don't have to go."
"I know." He shrugged, "I can't stop you. You can't stop me."
"You said it yourself, it's a trap. I'm going alone."
"No you're not. So are you all ready?" He turned to face me, poker face not slipping in the slightest.
"Look, I don't want anyone to get hurt or killed over this. I'll be fine." I heaved a sigh of my own, folding my arms and trying to keep my own expression just as stoic as his.
"I'm really good at dodging." He smirked in an attempt at lightening the mood. When I didn't budge, he grew serious, "It's either the two of us or I'm going to have to let the others know. Take your pick."
I narrowed my eyes at the choices he'd offered, "Fine. Let's go." I shook my head.
"See anything out of the ordinary?" Clint readjusted his hat as he surveyed our surroundings. I couldn't tell where he was looking through the dark sunglasses he wore, but he did know how to blend in or at least look like a civilian. He clutched a travel guide in one hand and kept the other on his duffel bag as we approached the door to my father's house.
"It's been years." I shook my head, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. Shifting uncomfortably, I fiddled with the straps on the purse I carried. Our weapons were stored for now, keeping attention off of us for as long we could, but we knew Hydra would be able to sniff us out without the media's help.
"Can I help – Rachel?" My dad stepped forward immediately when I removed my sunglasses, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "It's been a long time. What have you been up to?"
"Hi, Dad. Let's talk inside." I ushered him into the house as quickly as I could, Clint following behind closely and locking the door once we cleared the doorway.
"If they're listening in we've only got a few minutes." He kept his voice even and low as he glanced out of the nearest window, beginning to walk through the house as he continued to look for anything suspicious.
"Who is this?" My dad frowned disapprovingly at the intrusion.
"That's Clint Barton; he's a friend of mine, Dad." I explained quickly.
"You can't mean the one from New York, can you?" He was referring to the alien invasion.
I nodded, "That's the one. Listen, we don't have a lot of time to explain what's going on –"
"Geez, Rachel. What's happened to you?" He cut in, eyeing the scar on my face, "You look so different and the first time you visit in years you show up with an assassin as a friend?"
"Dad, please listen to me. I promise I'll explain later, but right now we need to get out of here." My words were strained as I tried to convey the importance of my message without raising my voice. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but I cut him off, "Please, Dad. Now."
He nodded, finally realizing how urgent this was. "Okay." With that he shuffled into the living room and back, a single picture in his hand.
Clint was making his way into the room, tapping away on his cell phone, when the doorbell rang. Quickly he dropped to his knee, unzipping the bag he carried and slinging a set of arrows over his shoulder. He was equipped with the knife and gun in a blink of an eye, grabbing the bow last and holding it at the ready.
I was ready just as quickly as he was, extending an arm and guiding my dad to stand behind me as I approached the door, gun at my hip and knife held out of sight. From the corner of my eye I could see Clint creep out of view from the door, gesturing for my father to do the same as I finally answered the door.
"Hello." I greeted, offering a polite smile as I pulled the door open.
"Oh." A woman was standing there, her eyes widening for a moment before she regained her train of thought. "Is Mr. Brooke around? You see, I've just moved in across the street and some of my things are still in storage. He said it'd be okay if I borrow the lawnmower until I finish unpacking." She smiled, "You look a little like the picture he showed me of his daughter, is that you?"
"Ah, no. I'm his niece. Everyone says I look just like her though." I lied, watching for any shift in her expression.
"Well nice to meet you. I'm Abby." She extended her hand.
"Olivia." I shook her hand.
Her grip tightened, "So, visiting from New York?" She pulled me forward, raising her leg in an attempt to knee me in the ribs. I raised my own leg to knee her in the thigh, moving my foot up higher to push off of her stomach until she released my hand.
"Rachel!" My dad must have been watching.
"Stay there!" I didn't take my eyes off of the Hydra agent before me. I heard a loud bang and the splintering of wood as the backdoor of the house was kicked in.
"We've got company." Clint notified from inside the house before I heard another crash and glass breaking.
Abby stumbled back a few paces, reaching down to massage her thigh where I'd kneed her, "Eric said you would go for the nerve bundles first." She laughed.
I lunged forward before she could recover fully, sending us both into the grass. She managed to knock the knife from my hand with a hard swing to the metacarpals, but I pinned her. "Tell Eric and Dr. Sterns that I'm done and I won't hold back the next time they come after me." I hissed.
Another set of footsteps neared us, a shadow letting me know they were too close before a heavy boot connected with my side and sent me tumbling off of the first agent. I bit down on my lip hard to keep from showing how much that had hurt as I eyed the newest challenger. The kick to the ribs ached more than it should have. Whoever this was, they had a bit of the super soldier serum in them too.
"You should wipe that look off of your face. They left it up to us to decide if we should bring you in or take you out." The man with the steel toed boots advanced, circling to my opposite side.
I pushed myself up, grabbing my fallen blade and keeping my gaze on both agents as best I could, "You think you scare me? I said I'm done. That means I'm done being afraid too." I spat, hoping they wouldn't catch my bluff. It was partially true, I wasn't afraid for myself anymore. I was, however, terrified for the ones I cared about and any other innocent life that was at risk.
"Doesn't matter either way to me." He scoffed, moving forward from the back.
Releasing a tense breath, I waited until he was only a few inches away before ducking forward and twisting slightly, slamming my elbow into his face. I felt a chilling crunch as his nose broke under the force, but didn't stop there as I then extended the same arm to grab him by the hair and bring his face into my opposite knee. He stopped resisting and I allowed him to fall forward in front of me, stomping down hard on the back of his knee to keep him from getting back up.
Abby was on me in a flash, delivering a series of punches to my ribs as I raised my guard instinctively. Gritting my teeth, I cleared her away with a downward sweep of my arms and a swift kick to her chest, leaving her winded as she tripped over her injured partner. I grimaced, my sides were on fire. Did everyone have a bit of serum in them now? I spun, going with the momentum of the kick until I whipped around and let the knife fly in her direction. It embedded itself just under her ribs, off to the side. She cursed, her hands wrapping around herself to keep pressure on her new wound.
I was momentarily convinced that there would be significantly less of a fight from the two in front of me, so I allowed my eyes to brush over the house to see how my father and Clint were fairing, A thick, grey smoke was pouring from the open door and clouding the windows. As if on cue, the two I'd been looking for exited the building. Clint was just behind my father, turning to release an arrow into the house before continuing. He aimed the next arrow between the two Hydra agents, filling the air with another grey cloud as a smoke bomb went off on impact.
Quickly moving to join them, I only spared a glance when I heard the two agents groan, a beastly edge to their voices. Oh no… I watched as their silhouettes began to transform, bones cracking and shifting to accommodate their new form. They growled, getting to their feet and moving through the fog.
"You've got to be kidding me." Clint mused dryly, grabbing an explosive arrow and taking aim. The two mutants weren't as big as the Hulk and Madman would get, but they towered over us standing at roughly seven feet tall. It was almost as if they were half-baked versions of the examples they were meant to represent, strongly resembling their former selves with a monstrous coating. Blood still poured from the man's broken nose and Abby's side, but they were no longer concerned for their health as a normal person would be.
"Get my dad out of here; I'll be right behind you." I watched as the arrow hit its mark and the beast still ambled towards us on a broken knee.
We both drew our guns, Clint keeping his at the ready as he forced my father further away from the scene. I fired twice at the beast's healthy knee and stepped back as Abby's oversized arm swung in my direction. Thinking fast, I jumped up high while she was still crouching, twisting my body as I did so, wrapping my arms around her large neck and burying my knee into her spine. I planned to bring her down as I landed, but instead she reached behind her head and yanked me off of her, flinging me to the ground.
The iconic sound of repulsors charging and a flash of light announced Iron Man's arrival. Abby was sent back a few yards by the beams of light, but recovered quickly. "Hang on." He instructed, metal arm wrapping around my middle as he barely landed before we were in the air. A small plate on his shoulder lifted to expose a row of what looked like miniature missiles. One shot out from its place and the others returned to their original position as a more powerful, yet concentrated, blast went off. A small section of my father's house was destroyed by the explosion, but it left the two agents unconscious in its wake.
I felt a wave of relief as we touched down next to my father and Clint a few doors down from where the fight had broken out. "Five minutes, not bad at all." Clint gave a low whistle.
"Right?" Tony agreed, "Getting out of the lab and suiting up was the longest part."
"Nice." The archer grinned. "For a minute there I was worried you didn't have your phone on you."
"Please, it's like you don't know me – We should get going actually." He grounded himself, focusing on the very real threat still at hand, "We'll talk about this later."