A/N: There's a lot going on in this chapter so make sure you keep up, stuff happens very quickly. This story is nearing it's end with only three more chapters to go, I hope you've all liked it but I'll save the rest of the farewell speech for the last chapter. For now, read, review and enjoy.
Natasha's eyes flung open, the realisation slamming into her. It was the day that Phoenix was going to attack, and for the first time in her life Natasha felt completely unprepared. Her mind was all over the place. Another slam of realisation, Clint. Damn freaking Clint Barton, why did he have to be so irritating? Why did Natasha have to be so stupid? She was still coming down from the rush of adrenaline she got last night, all that just from being kissed by one person. As she sat up in bed she raked a hand through her hair.
"Agent Romanoff, Mr Stark requests your presence in the living area immediately," she barely had a second to think for herself before JARVIS relayed the message from Tony.
Natasha suited up within the space of a minute. There was no time to waste, especially if the reason Tony wanted to see her was because of Phoenix, and it most likely was. She reached the living area and within seconds she unwillingly let her eyes fall upon Clint, seated upon the couch, he avoided her blank stare. He was wearing his gear also, as well as the other inhabitants of the room. Except for Banner who had no armour, and Tony who was not in his iron attire.
"What's going on Stark?" she didn't turn away from Clint, not wanting to let her eyes leave him, but spoke to Tony anyway.
"It's Phoenix, we've got a visual on her, it just came in a few minutes ago," he brought up a screen and Natasha tore her eyes away from Clint and rushed to the screen. "She's standing right near the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, don't worry she hasn't moved since JARVIS located her.
"She looks like she's waiting for something, or someone," Natasha observed the grainy security footage, determined to extract every visual detail. "Have you seen anything of Doctor Blake or the other kids?"
"Nothing, just Phoenix," Steve answered, his shield was attached to his back, he to was battle ready. "And she looks ready for a fight."
Steve was correct. Phoenix had ditched the hoodie, it was obvious that she was no longer trying to be subtle, and instead wore a black tank top and leather jacket, her long hair was tied off her face and she looked around her with a hard set determination. She glanced at the security camera briefly before her eyes flicked away to something to her left. Natasha frowned, she knew they were watching her, so why was she just standing around.
"Replay the last five seconds and zoom in on her face," Clint instructed from directly behind Natasha, his sudden moment of talking made Natasha tense up where she stood. "Slow it down as well, I think I saw something."
Tony did as he was told, zooming in and replaying the video slowly. Natasha saw it immediately, Phoenix's lips moved as she mouthed one word whilst looking directly at the camera.
Natasha and Clint had the answer. "SHIELD," they spoke simultaneously and glanced at each other only briefly.
"What?" Tony was confused.
Steve however knew exactly what they were talking about. "She spoke while looking at the camera, and she said Shield," the Captain nodded to Clint. "Good eyes Barton."
Natasha frowned at the live image, a vehicle pulled up on the curb where Phoenix stood. The girl looked at the camera once more before climbing inside the black van. Natasha immediately identified the plates and set JARVIS up to track the vehicle before Tony could even move to control the screen. There was no time, everything had to be done exactly to point if they had any hope of succeeding.
"She's headed for SHIELD," Clint was holding his bow down by his left side as he spoke. "That's gotta be why she said that to the camera."
"Well then we must go there," Thor said.
"Hold on. We don't know whether or not she is heading for SHIELD. For all we know she could be trying to trick us into believing that she's headed to SHIELD, and then swing back around and attack the tower when she knows we're vulnerable," Natasha protested. "We can't trust her, everything she's done so far has been erratic."
"This girl's MO is to take down people she sees as a threat right?" Banner asked and everyone nodded. "I think what she's betting on is that we will go after her and try and stop her. We are her target, but by attacking SHIELD she's killing two birds with one stone. Take us both out at the same time."
"Then I guess we're going to have to stop her," Tony said.
"Alright listen up!" Steve shouted to get everyone's attention. "Stark and Thor you fly your way to SHIELD, while Romanoff, Barton, Banner and myself will take the jet. Once we arrive at SHIELD, meet on the roof and we'll go from there. Stark make sure you're tracking Phoenix, and we'll do the same."
"We better hurry, the car Phoenix is in has just crossed the Brooklyn Bridge," Clint informed them with a quick glance at the screen.
"How'd they do that so quickly, Brooklyn Bridge is always loaded with traffic?" Steve questioned.
"How do you think?" Natasha asked sarcastically, watching the screen carefully. "Their van must be fitted with something indestructible, they just snow-plowed their way across the Bridge. A couple of cars even went over the side."
"Well they're determined to get things done I'll give them that," Tony commented dryly.
"Let's move out!" Steve motioned to the elevator.
Tony walked out across his balcony, his suit attaching itself to his body as he walked, once his armour was on, he flew off into the sky, Thor wasn't too far behind him. The rest of the Avengers rushed to the roof where a jet was waiting for them. Natasha and Clint took the pilot's seats, while Bruce and Steve sat in the back and strapped themselves in. They were off the ground in the space of ten seconds and flew towards SHIELD.
When they were almost there Natasha spoke up. "Stark what's your position?" she asked over the radio.
"I am just approaching SHIELD now," Tony replied. "It looks pretty quiet so far. Jarvis is tracking Phoenix at the moment. You've got about ten minutes before she gets here I'd guess, as long as she doesn't railroad her way through the morning traffic again. I'll get Jarvis to send you through her position. She's moving fast but I don't think she knows we've spotted her yet."
A layout of the streets of Manhattan appeared on Natasha's screen. There was a glowing red dot moving straight down a road that would take her straight to SHIELD. Natasha pulled up another map that showed Phoenix's position in comparison to theirs. Her eyes widened.
"Clint," she turned to him. "Phoenix is right below the jet."
"Shit!" he swore. "Has she seen us?"
Natasha glanced out the window and saw the black van moving below them. She also saw the small figure with red hair leaning out of the window with her hands raised. "She's on your 2 o'clock. Move!" Natasha shouted a warning.
"Hold on!" Clint told them. He turned the wheel making the whole plane lean to the left, causing Steve and Bruce to nearly crash into the sides. A huge jet of flame only just bypassed the right wing. Natasha's eyes widened at the sight of it and Clint swerved further away.
"What was that?" Steve asked.
"Phoenix," Natasha answered.
"What the hell?" Clint asked as his screen switched off. Natasha's did the same as well. The lights on the switches and dials that worked the jet went dark. Natasha frantically tapped them and turned dials in an attempt to get them to switch back on. "I'm flying blind here," Clint said.
"Are we going to crash?" Bruce asked calmly.
"No," Clint replied as he tried to flip more switches. "But our navigations systems are down, weapons are offline and we can't turn on our screens. The only thing that's operational is…" he checked systems and then sighed in annoyance. "Is the steering wheel."
"The plane flies, but that's all it can do. We don't know where we're going and we've lost Phoenix. I don't think she's trying to kill us though. I think she's just disabling us. Trying to get to SHIELD before we do," Natasha said as Clint steered the jet back on course. "We've got the advantage because Phoenix has to take the road, but she's got a GPS, we don't."
"How the hell did she do that? She can't control planes," Clint muttered.
"She's also not the only one of the Doctor's teenagers with superpowers Agent Barton," Bruce reminded him.
"That's not important right now. Aren't you guys SHIELD agents?" Steve asked. "You should know where you're going."
"We do know where we're going, but we don't know where Phoenix is and radios are down which means we have no idea what's going on," Natasha told him.
"There's SHIELD now," Clint pointed to the building they were currently approaching. "I'm gonna land her on the roof, and once we're out of the jet the signals will be back and we'll be able to use our radios again."
"Barton, go down to the bottom floors with Banner. Meet up with Thor and try and do whatever you can to stop them getting in," Steve told him as the plane made its descent. "Natasha, we'll meet up with Stark and take the top floors. We'll be the last line of defence."
The plane landed and the hatch opened. They all ran out and Natasha went straight for her radio. "Stark, Thor, we're here, what's going on?" she asked.
There was static until Tony's voice came through. "I'm downstairs at the moment. Non-essential personnel are getting out. I don't know if we're going to get people out in enough time. Phoenix is getting closer, ETA one minute."
"I am with Stark at the base of the building," Thor told them.
"Stark get up here, we need you," Natasha told him.
Natasha looked at Clint one last time. She wanted to say goodbye. Hell she wanted to run up to him and plant a huge kiss on his lips like last night. But she didn't. He looked back at her and then nodded and followed Bruce down the stairs. Natasha took in a deep breath, it was time.
Doctor Blake sat in the back of the black van he had procured for the occasion. There was one man that worked for him driving. Phoenix sat in the passenger's side seat, keeping an eye on the skies. In the back with him were the four other subjects, they sat on the opposite side of the van. They were scared, but after the victory today, there would be no fear left.
"Very clever my dear," he praised Phoenix as she commanded Samuel Lidsdale to turn of the navigational systems in the jet. "That should keep them thinking we are trying to slow them down for a while. I would recommend going over the plan once more for the sake of our friends here, just as a reminder."
"Alright listen up!" Phoenix raised her voice to catch the attention of the other teenagers in the van. "Today we'll be attacking SHIELD, and destroying as much of the organisation as we can. The Avengers are already on their way there and you are not to harm them in any serious way, it is essential that you leave them for us to deal with. Now our plan of attack goes like this. Sam," she pointed at Samuel. "The minute this van stops you shut out all the power in that building. Cut off all the electricity."
"Then Mark and Josh," she pointed at Marcus Winters and Joshua Smith. "You're going in there first. Josh, you go straight down to the basement and pull the lockdown switch. That way we can pick them off easier. Mark, you'll be covering him, take out anyone that points a gun at either of you. Sam, after the lockdown starts you'll follow the two boys in and join them in holding off any SHIELD agents that come at you."
All of them nodded.
"After that the rest of us will be going in. Bella," she pointed at Isabella Mason. A young girl who could control shadows and manipulate darkness. She was quite skilled in creating a black mist that could seep in anywhere and plunge everything into the dark. The Doctor favoured that ability, purely for the sake of deadly espionage. "You'll be with me. We're going to flank the Doctor and make our way past the bottom floors. Once we're in the lift, you'll be joining the other three and keep everyone downstairs occupied."
Then Phoenix held up a radio device for all of them to see. "I have it on good authority that Captain America, Tony Stark and Agent Romanoff will be on the tops floors. That means Agent Barton, Thor and the Hulk will be on the bottom floors," she informed them.
"You want us to take on the Hulk?" Mark asked.
"Don't provoke him," Phoenix clarified. "Just avoid him and if he runs at you, hide. It's a small space, so he'll find it hard to move around."
The van pulled up at the side of SHIELD. Phoenix nodded at Sam whose eyes closed. It took him longer than with the jet because he had to shut down the power of a whole building rather than a small aircraft, but he accomplished the feat and his eyes flew open.
Phoenix pulled open the door. "Go!" she shouted. Josh was the first out and they caught one look at him before his power took over and he became invisible. Mark went after him like a blur as he smashed open the doors by ramming straight into them. He blurred away again and they lost sight of them.
They heard the alarm loud and clear. Phoenix shoved Sam who snapped to attention and ran inside. Then Phoenix herself jumped out and helped the Doctor. Bella came out last and sped up to reach Phoenix. The two girls walked in front of the Doctor and guided him into the building.
It was chaos the minute they entered. Lightning bolts of pure electricity were appearing out of nowhere as Sam sat positioned in the corner of the room taking out as many agents as possible. Thor and The Hulk were nowhere in sight, but loud noises from the basement gave a hint to their location.
Phoenix heard a whoosh near her right ear and spun to the right, holding up her hands and aiming a jet of fire at the arrow that was directed at Doctor Blake. Agent Barton was perched up high with his bow and arrow waiting for the Doctor to enter. Phoenix glared at him, her heart pounding in her head. He dare attempt to harm her Master?. She leered at him, the anger seeping onto her facial expression.
"Oh shit!" Barton exclaimed.
Flames erupted and spiralled around Phoenix's arms, she spun and the flames lifted off her arms and struck the spot where Clint had attempted to kill her master, but Clint had moved too quickly and avoided the attack. Phoenix moved for another attack, but the Doctor touched her arm lightly and drew her away.
They moved through the room. Phoenix attacked any Agents that approached them and Bella gave them cover as her dark mist clouded around anyone that tried to approach. They reached a sealed door that had been closed in the lockdown.
Phoenix blew it open without much effort.
Then they reached the lift which Phoenix prised open. Bella gave them one last look and hesitated, until Phoenix glared at her and she ran back to where the main fighting was, in fear. The Doctor entered the lift first and Phoenix was about to enter when Agent Barton rounded the corner and fired an arrow.
Phoenix burned it to ashes without much effort. "You are really starting to annoy me."
He moved towards her and hit her across the face with the side of his bow. She outstretched her palm, a jet of fire shot out and he moved just in time to avoid it. His bow came down to hit her but she ducked and then her right leg shot upwards and she kicked him in his right side. He quickly drew an arrow from his quiver and jabbed her in the stomach. It barely broke the skin and grazed her lightly, but it was enough to drip blood. She lifted her fist which erupted into flames, she punched him in the face and he went backwards. There was a fair distance between them now.
Doctor Blake sighed and pressed a button in the lift. "Kill him if you must," he told Phoenix as the doors started closing. "Just meet me upstairs when you're finished."
Phoenix watched as the lift closed and then she turned and looked directly at Clint.
Natasha made her way towards a separate room near the stairwell entrance, waiting for Phoenix or Doctor Blake to appear. The lockdown had stopped just a few seconds earlier, which allowed Natasha to patrol the hallways again. She decided to stop near the stairway entrance because the lifts were already covered.
She waited, a hand on her radio waiting for any news. Eventually she heard a voice, but it wasn't good news. "Uh we've got a problem," Stark said over the radio. "Either Thor has gone over to their side and turned into a teenager, or they've got a kid in the foyer that can shoot lightning."
"Head down there and try and stop him," Steve ordered over the radio.
"And see if you can get a visual on Phoenix," Natasha added.
"Understood."
There was more radio silence, until the voice she had been most anxious to hear spoke. "Phoenix, Doctor Blake and another girl are making their way to the lifts," Clint reported. "I'm going after them. We gotta try and stop them from making their way up to the top floors. I'm close. Barton out."
Natasha bit her lip and continued to listen for anymore news. Minutes passed, Natasha counted them. Three minutes and the stairwell burst open. Phoenix walked out seeming pleased about something. Natasha kept quiet and waited for her to pass. Then she quietly followed after her. She stood out of sights as Phoenix talked to someone over a handheld radio, but Natasha couldn't hear what was being said.
Phoenix reattached the radio to her belt and continued walking, Natasha continued to follow her. Where on Earth was she going? She made a sharp left turn into one of the meeting rooms, she moved quickly, and closed the door behind her. Suspicion getting the better of her, Natasha followed her with her gun raised.
When she entered, she saw Phoenix waiting for her with her arms by her side. Next to Phoenix was Doctor Blake, who stood over a chair with a tight grip on the shoulder of the person tied to it. Steve looked up at her from the chair as if to say, "Sorry I got caught."
It was the first time Natasha had officially seen Doctor Blake and his ordinary appearance was off-putting. Surely a man as horrible as that couldn't look like any old pharmacist. Mad scientists were supposed to have grey spikey hair and goggles on top of their head. Doctor Blake looked too simple.
Phoenix directed Natasha's attention back to her as she smirked. She pointed to the gun that Natasha kept raised and aimed at Phoenix. "Are you really going to use that on me Agent Romanoff? You've hesitated before, what's to say you won't do it again."
"Doesn't mean I can't shoot him," Natasha moved her gun until it was pointing at Doctor Blake.
Phoenix reacted viciously and instantaneously by setting the gun that Natasha held in her hands on fire and Natasha was forced to drop it as she felt the flame melting the skin off her hands. Phoenix picked up the discarded weapon and pulled it apart, tossing the pieces to either side of the room.
"Phoenix!" Doctor Blake barked at her as she went to move closer to Natasha, probably going for another attack. When Doctor Blake told her off Phoenix lowered her head and backed away, almost like she'd been slapped. "Tie her up," the Doctor commanded.
Phoenix nodded and quickly moved over to Natasha, grabbing her hands and dragging her to an empty seat next to the Captain. Natasha didn't defend herself because she was intent on seeing where all of this was going. There was a reason Doctor Blake was keeping them alive and she was determined to discover what.
"Go and patrol the corridors," The Doctor instructed Phoenix once she was finished making sure Natasha was secured to the chair. "Kill as many SHIELD grunts as you want. If you encounter any agents with level 7 or higher clearance you know what to do."
Phoenix seemed to almost bow as she silently agreed to the Doctor's orders and walked out of the room, locking the door behind her once she closed it. Now Natasha and Steve were all alone with a madman. He kept a gun pointed at them but Natasha wasn't trying to get away. At least not yet. First she would have to interrogate him.