Hello! I'm back from my holiday in France. It was fun! As promised, here is the new chapter. For any and all new followers, favouriters and reviewers: thank you! By the way, sorry for some strong language at the end, I *ed it out but still.
Disclaimer: I own no Marvel characters, heroes or otherwise, used in this story, only my OC's.
Chapter 15 - A New York Street and a Coffee Shop
"Lexy! 4 o'clock!" Natasha called.
Alexia turned just in time to dodge a ball of flying debris. Luckily, Thor caught it before it landed on a small crowd of innocent civilians.
"You've gotta be kidding me! We beat these guys, what, a week ago?" Tony shouted.
"What can they say? They always find a way to slither back," Lexy giggled as she sent her whip flying at a woman donned in red.
"Not the time for jokes, Siren!" Captain America called as he defended himself against a large, green humanoid creature.
Alexia pouted but also smirked. The Serpent Squad didn't take long to take down the first time, and it had been the first battle during which she had officially been referred to as Siren, which made her feel warm inside. However, the second time seemed to be taking a little more effort.
"The Serpent Squad won't be so easy to conquer this time!" Sin hissed as she raced at Natasha.
"Whatever gets you to sleep at night," Clint chuckled as he landed a well-shot arrow in the villain's leg. She let out a weak cry.
"This would be a lot easier if we took it closer to the water," Lexy reminded.
"And give them a nice view of the sewers? Sorry, Siren, but probably not the best time to use your full potential," Tony denied as he brought down the Eel.
"We don't need to, anyway. They aren't that much trouble," Natasha shrugged.
"Guys, they're right there. There's no need to be rude," Lexy tutted as she sent a small sphere of drain water at the Viper.
"Hey, they want to steal and assault people, they deserve a little ridicule," Tony retorted.
After a few more moments of playful mockery and strenuous fighting, the Serpent Squad sat in a heap in the middle of the street. Iron Man wiped imaginary dust from his hands and was about to walk away when the Captain grabbed his metal arm.
"New idea for you, genius. Why don't you tie the criminals up or hand them over to the police once you've had your fun?" Steve suggested.
"Save the mocking for the lawbreakers, Cap," the iron-clad superhero grumbled as he turned again.
"Don't worry, I got this one," Lexy grinned, "You guys go on ahead."
Her team members shrugged lightly and swivelled to return to their much-loved Tower. As they ambled off, Alexia separated her arms. Water came crawling from every nook and cranny, condensing from the cool, damp air and gushing from the drains and pipes that connected the gigantic city she stood amidst. Once the brunette was satisfied with the mass of liquid she had been provided with, she merged them, creating an enormous, levitating pool of dirty water. Using slow and precise movements, Alexia brought the pool down onto her enemies, who were immediately gathered up by it's density. She then let the water rise again, with the delinquents now within it, and let it hang in the air.
"Not doubting your abilities or anything, but are you sure you can handle that amount of water before the cops arrive?" Tony questioned.
"Saying that you aren't doubting my abilities before obviously doubting my abilities probably isn't the best form of tact," Lexy pointed out, "I only have to hold up the bottom layer of water, which carries the weight of the rest. Why are you here, anyway? Everyone else left."
The hero looked around, as if only just realizing that no archer, soldier, God, spy or scientist was waiting around anymore. He suddenly looked rather awkward, waiting amongst the wreckage of the battle for the one teammate who had yet to find their way to the Tower.
"Oh, well, I suppose I just didn't want you to feel left out," he stuttered.
"I remember stating, and I quote, 'Don't worry, I got this one, you guys go on ahead.' Now, I'm no master of the English language but I'm pretty sure that means I was offering you a break and felt fine with being 'left out,'"Lexy countered.
"I'm still not about to leave an innocent young woman alone in a half-destroyed road to play clean-up crew," Tony smirked.
"Fine, let's go," Alexia sighed indifferently.
The walk back to their home was quiet but not uncomfortable. Their costumes earned more than a couple of odd looks from passers by as they got further from the crime scene, but Lexy just smiled lightly and excused their outlandish clothing with, "Comic Convention", which seemed to be enough for most, though some female teens muttered excitedly at the Iron Man suit. By the time they reached the Avengers Tower, the two merely chuckled when they attracted a stare from a stranger and ran inside when people finally began to realize who Tony was. They made their way to the floor where the Avengers were lounging to find them out of costume and clad in casual attire. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at the two's laughter.
"What's so funny?" Bruce queried.
"Nothing," Lexy responded, giggles still evident in her voice.
"How's work going?" Tony asked.
"Well, I helped SHIELD with a way to find the Familia more easily. I won't go into it but I estimate it should take a few weeks, a month at most," Bruce replied, his answer silencing Alexia's happiness.
"What's the plan for when we do find them?" Steve questioned.
"I'm not sure yet, neither is Fury. Going in full force will catch them off guard but if their soldiers are anywhere close, that plan might not end well."
"We could try picking them off one by one? We'll have to do it quickly or they'll notice but it'll be a lot easier," Clint suggested.
"Let's sleep on it," Tony said, "I have work to do."
And with that, he left the room, swiftly followed by Lexy, who muttered that she was retiring to her own room. It didn't take very long for the rest of the Avengers to disperse as well, leaving the room empty and cold.
Paige and Dylan sat in a coffee shop. The brunette had suggested it so that they could reconnect, but found it terribly awkward after they had ordered.
"So, how's the building coming along?" she asked.
"It's not," he muttered.
"What?"
"They... They dropped the project. Mine wasn't good enough and I had wasted too much time and too many resouces," he whispered.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Dyl. Does Lexy know?"
"No, we haven't been in touch lately," he chuckled, "Didn't you hear about what happened last time?" Paige looked bewildered, "No, I suppose if you knew, you wouldn't be here. You would've ran at the sight of me."
"Why would I do that? What did you do?" Paige questioned.
"We're planning something and Alexia has chosen the wrong side to be on," Dylan grumbled.
"Who's 'we'? What are you planning? Dylan, tell me!" she demanded helplessly.
"Have they done anything to you yet, Paige?" he asked abruptly, "I know she killed your cousin, but they haven't made you a freak yet, have they?"
"What kind of question is that? And don't you f****** dare accuse Lexy of killing Erin! None of it was her fault!" Paige shouted, not caring about the numerous strange looks she was acquiring.
"Can't you see what they are, Paige? They're monsters! Freaks! I'm one too, I admit, but at least I have the decency to hide it!" Dylan cackled manically, "But soon, I'll be the only one left and if I pretend it doesn't exist, there won't be anyone left."
"You're a mad man! Get the f*** away from me," Paige all but screamed.
Dylan's sick grin faded as he glanced upon her shaking form. Whether it from fury or fear, he didn't want to find out the consequences of his most recent actions. He stumbled out of the shop and cloaked himself in the anonymity of the New York swarms. A tear escaped one of Paige's eyes as she stared around her at the bemused and disapproving patrons of the coffee shop. She ran out and snatched her phone.
"Paige?" a happy voice questioned.
"L-Lexy, can you tell me what's going on with Dylan, please?" said girl stammered as tears began to flow freely down her slightly tanned cheeks.
"What happened? Are you OK?" Alexia interrogated immediately.
"I-I'm fine. I just really need t-to know what's going on."
"Come over, I'll explain everything," Lexy sighed.
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