The Girl Who Can't Be Moved

Chapter Seven

BOOM!

The force of the explosion sent Bridgette flat onto her back, whacking her head against the floor. The chaos that followed was immediate. Everyone got their feet, hurrying to their attack positions. She saw Steve and Tony dash out together, muttering something about a suit. Rubbing the back of her head, she got back on her feet with minor stars in her vision. Ouch.

The hole in the middle of the floor caught attention first and she couldn't recall if Bruce had left with everyone else. Did he leave or maybe he-

The Hulk's roar echoed throughout the Helicarrier, making the floor vibrate beneath her very feet. Found him.

"Oh no...!" Dashing to the edge of the new hole addition to the lab she jumped down to the lower level. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" The green figure had just started to run and Bridgette was quick to follow.

"Bruce!" she called. The Hulk was too busy roaring to hear her. She kicked it into high gear, chasing after him. There was debris everywhere. Ripped and broken metal pulled from their sockets, wires hanging free, their sparks showering those beneath. She jumped over the rubble, slipping past the narrow paths that the fallen equipment created. The floor still shook with the Hulk's heavy footsteps as he ran and Bridgette tried to catch up. There was the flash of red hair and gunshots, the calling card for Agent Romanov.

"Shit!" she swore. Looking about, she saw another workman level, a narrow strip with a railing. Muscles tensing in her legs, she jumped up, using the railing as leverage to swing herself over onto the next landing. Good, this angle was much better she decided as she took off again.

The Hulk and Natasha were still a ways ahead and she growled out of irritation. There was another path just up ahead, a service man's route. Not lingering on the thought, she took the small ramp, allowing blind faith to lead her. Her surroundings were nothing more than a blur, blue eyes flickering from important point to potential path. Glimpsing the factors that mattered at that very moment.

There.

Her hand caught on the railing and swung underneath, dropping back onto the lower level. She froze, low to the ground. It was strangely quiet, like everything was holding it's breath. Quieting her own breathing, she cautiously took a step forward, needing to get a better look. Where were they? Did she miss them? Did the Hulk get her? She prayed not.

The Hulk roared again and Bridgette jumped a good foot in the air, startled out of her skin, hairs raised. There was another gunshot, followed by the sound of some pipe hissing. Blue eyes rounded as a storm of glass headed her way. The floor vibrated so bad it nearly threw her off her feet, like an earthquake. Staggering, she could see Natasha running her way. No, not just running. Running for her life. Which made sense when it became clear how close the Hulk was to her, and gaining. His gigantic green form was shattering the doors, spraying shards of glass everywhere. Adrenaline was flooding throughout her system fast-or had it already begun so earlier? Her pulse was skyrocketing, heartbeat pounding like a drum, senses on the highest alert. She really had no idea.

All she knew was the proper time to jump.

Her body dove across the path of the oncoming Hulk, colliding into Agent Romanov and tackling her so that they both tumbled out of the path. They rolled a short distance, Bridgette pinning the agent beneath her so to act as a temporary shield. The Hulk's shadow loomed over the instantly, for something so big, he was very agile. The girl was hoping it would take him a bit longer to slow down and then turn to face them.

Bridgette got to her feet and faced the Hulk, very cautious. She held open her arms, showing that her hands were empty and that she wasn't prepared to strike him. Leaving herself completely open for a shot.

"Hey, big guy," she spoke carefully. He was breathing hard, fists clenched and ready to fight again. There was a moment as he waited, recognizing her. She could see his eyes squinting as she begged for him to remember her and not smash her down. The floor had finally stopped quaking when he spoke up.

"Bridg...ette..." he recalled. She nodded, daring to take half a step forward, nothing too fast.

"Right, Bridgette. You remember?" she asked. It would be rather difficult to forget the girl who roared in the face of the Hulk, in her opinion. He was still breathing heavy, nostrils flaring and he saw Natasha behind her. He took a step to the side as if to approach the spy and Bridgette mirrored him, keeping her hands out defensive.

"No no, she's a friend. She's not going to hurt you, okay? She won't hurt you," she promised, making sure to keep her tone gentle and reassuring. Not that the agent could hurt him, anyway. Hulk still shuffled, not wanting to settle down and be still. Heart racing, Bridgette kept up her role as Romanov's personal shield. Swallowing dryly, she decided to keep talking, to remain a distraction, a point for him to focus on.

"The fall hurt didn't it?" she asked. Hulk looked at her quickly, attention closing in on her. "That's why you got mad? That fall must've hurt. It was loud too, some kind of explosion hit the ship."

"Fall...hurt, Bruce...not Hulk..." he clarified. She nodded in understanding, a smile forming.

"Of course, you are very strong," she stated, smiling. The rise and fall of his chest seemed more even now, like he was starting to relax. Thank goodness.

"Bridgette...strong...like Hulk," he pointed out. She gave a modest shrug of her shoulders, smiling a bit easier now.

"Sort of, big guy. Sort of." Both Hulk and Bridgette stilled when they heard a rustle of movement. Then the girl paled, unable to call out in time.

At that moment, Thor came barreling through swinging his mighty hammer in an arch. The hit connected with the side of the Hulk's face, sending him off his feet and through the nearest wall. The connection was lost. Completely shattered.

"No!" called Bridgette. She turned quickly to Natasha, assessing her status first.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The stunned agent didn't answer and she knelt down to her level, taking her firmly by the shoulders so that she would focus on her.

"Natasha. Are. You. Okay?" she asked again. She could feel the woman shaking but she gave a nod and that was all she needed, taking off after the other two Avengers.

Thor and the Hulk were locked in a fight, the god holding his own rather well. Taking a breath, Bridgette ran towards them, no real plan in mind. The two giants clashed again and again. Hulk brought his fist down and Thor blocked with his wrists, locking the fist in place.

"Banner!" he called. "Try to think!" Hulk roared, applying more force and the god staggered beneath the weight. Freeing his right hand, he swung his hammer up, striking the Hulk hard enough to send him flying and he crashed on top of a SHIELD jet. Shaking his head, he got back to his feet, more angry than before.

"Thor! Stop fighting! Give him some space!" she begged. She tried to place a hand to still the Asgardian weapon and Thor tossed her back, intention to move her from the danger. Which was understandable to her even as she rolled across the floor, but Hulk roared again. He tore off a piece of the jet's wing, whipping it at the god, making him fly instead. Lifting her head from the ground, more SHIELD agents were entering the flight bay, covered in head to toe combative gear.

"Enemies are wearing SHIELD gear! I repeat, the enemies aboard are wearing SHIELD gear!" came the announcement. Growling, Bridgette got to her feet, reaching for her personalized weapon. The black clad "agents" started to advance, shooting at the three Avengers. They unloaded their clips, full blast, clearly giving away that they were the bad guys. The bullets rebounded against her skin as they always did, more like irritating pelts than anything. She flicked her wrist, extending the weapon as she started to run at them.

The first man went flying at her swing. She knocked down three more with the next, lengthening the weapon as she needed. The weapon responded to her lightest touch, increased grip, or curve of her wrist as she moved. One man grabbed her arm and she used him as a weight, allowing her to pull herself toward him, hitting him across the face, cracking his mask. Now they were circling her, trying to hem her in. The bullets kept bouncing off her body, hot stings and quickly becoming annoying. She took the weapon with both hands and bought it across her body in a fierce swing. The invaders flew at the contact.

Next thing Bridgette heard was the shattering of glass and a rapid firing of a weapon much bigger than some handheld firearm. Bringing her arm up to deflect the rogue shots and debris, she could see one of SHIELD's fighter jets aiming it's guns at the Hulk, unloading its full ammunition his way. The shots bounced off his broad back, but it succeeded in gaining his attention. He roared again, moving his focus to the plane. Blue eyes widened and she gasped as he started to charge at the plane.

"No! Bruce, stop!" she yelled. It was no use. The Hulk jumped from the landing, catching ride on the jet's topside. The jet started to falter and sputter out as he pounded the aircraft, tearing away at it. Small areas of fire were already popping up, smoke issuing. The pilot tried to eject out of his cockpit but the Hulk wasn't having it. He grabbed him by the chair.

Bridgette kicked her body into gear, flying past Thor who called after her.

"No, Bridgette! This is unwise!"

She didn't listen. Instead, her weapon lengthened considerably and she jabbed one end into the broken floor, and with just a bit of force, she was flying. Flying through the air was such as novel sensation, like she weighed nothing. The bar shortened to its bat form and she used it to whack the Hulk's wrist, forcing him to release the pilot and continue with his evacuation route. She returned the weapon to her holster, grappling for some sort of support. The jet was still going down, she and Hulk were both struggling to find a secure spot. The wind whipped her hair about like small torch as she tried to move to the edge of the jet.

The helicarrier was getting farther and farther away. Even with her best jump, she didn't know if she would make it. The realization dawned on her.

"Oh no..." she breathed. "No!"

The tip tap of her feet running across the metal was deaf to her as she ran to the edge of the fighter jet, using her strength to jump. Her hand reached as far as it could but she wasn't anywhere close. Fingers grasped air. The jet exploded as well, an extra burst of air forcing her away.

The shrill wind howled in her ears as she fell, stealing away her breath so that she couldn't even scream. How high were they? Were they above a city or town? What was beneath her, land or water? She would take land over water any day, as she wasn't a swimmer. Would this kind of fall kill her? Falling from a helicarrier seemed a bit more life threatening than some building's rooftop. What if it did? She didn't want her life to end now, not when she was finally living it.

Suddenly there was another force upon her, but she could barely open her eyes against the wind pressure. The force encompassed her entirely and she could feel herself become pinned. Forcing open her eyes, she could see green. The Hulk had her tight to him, arms surrounding her form and he had turned her so she was facing his chest. Was he protecting her? She squeezed her eyes shut again, chest burning from lack of air that their speed had stolen from her. Giving a short thought of hope, she prepared for impact.

"How many?" asked Tony. The Iron Man and Captain America were both standing where Loki's cage used to be. Now there was nothing left but a high tech room surrounding an empty space.

"Agent Coulson, Thor, Dr. Banner, and Miss Smith," accounted Steve solemnly. The two leaders were quiet. The blonde glanced over at the billionaire.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" Tony Stark was on him in a heartbeat, the man thought he was going to grabbed by the collar. Stark stood very close and used every ounce of leadership and intimidation that he had, in order to make his words all the more true.

"We are not soldiers, Captain. Not Coulson, Thor, Banner, or Smith. None of us are soldiers."

"The one that can find the cube, is that the only word I mean?" asked the doctor, wringing his hands as he spoke to the Captain on the helicarrier upon arrival. They both knew the truth behind that statement. The one who could find the cube also doubled as a huge liability. A threat to the entire crew. The Captain shook his hand firmly.

"It's the only word I care about, doctor." And he meant it.

"It's great to meet you Captain. I've heard a lot of good things about you," greeted Bridgette. She had been assertive in offering her hand in a proper greeting and had flashed him her smile, exposing how excited she was to meet him.

"Thank you ma'am. I hope I can live up to them," he had answered. Her smile assured him that he had done so already.

The agent, the god, the doctor and the girl, all gone. One deceased, and the rest were as good as dead. The doctor with a terrible monster inside, as a result of trying to copy the super soldier serum that worked for Steve Rogers. As well as the girl who was another attempt at replicating his transformation. She gave nothing away but there was some sort of secret beneath her smile and nonchalance.

And yet, this boy from Brooklyn was still alive. Still the living legend watching his comrades die.

The crash was jarringly painful.

They smashed through the roof of some type of factory, sending the nearby pigeons scattering. After the roof, they created some kind of crater crash site, broken chunks of concrete tossed about, mangled equipment that happened to be the vicinity. The two were lodged deep in the mess, almost like a valley trapped by mountains of broken cement. The force from the impact made the Hulk release his grip out of reflex. Bridgette bounced against the rubble, loudly smacking her head against a particular corner. Her jacket was torn and jagged in multiple spots yet it still clung to her. Her skin showed no signs of trauma but the velocity and the amount of force her skull endured from hitting the stone were adding up quickly. Her skin was her armor but she wasn't as indestructible as she liked to believe.

Her body rolled back down the hill to rest beside the Hulk, softly leaning against his arm while her back was to him. He tried to move as well, but even his giant form was suffering. He could barely lift his head as he glanced over at the girl.

"Bridg...ette..." he muttered. She didn't answer and his head fell back as he slipped into unconsciousness as well.

REVIEW! Your thoughts would be as lovely as ever and so great to hear from so many of you, it really makes my day! Sorry if it's a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get this scene out before the next major battle! Coming soon!

Hope you enjoyed!