Hey ya'll, I'm not going to waste your time with a long introduction, because in honor of The Avengers coming out in DVD today, I have finished, and not give you, the most action packed chapter I have ever written EVER! I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I only own the Avengers on DVD.
That being said, ENJOY!
When I was learning how to spar Natasha and Clint would gang up on me sometimes, at the time I thought it was over kill, and to be honest, I thought it was a little unfair, but now that I was in a real fight, one that had just resulted in me getting my lip split, while others tried sneaking up on me from behind to help their teammates, I could see why they did that. To help me prepare for the worst.
Clint once told me never to fight without a weapon. Unfortunately I hadn't taken my gloves off since dancing with Rhodey, and because of my dress I hadn't the room to hide any weapons.
"Need a little help?" I heard someone ask, before the person that I was blocking was thrown to the side. I smiled gratefully at Natasha before she nodded behind me. I spun around, slamming my hand into the person's nose in an upward position, he groaned, clutching his face, and Natasha delivered a strong kick to his chest, knocking him off his feet.
"Just like sparring all over again." I laughed and she grinned.
"You know Clint always says never get caught without a weapon."
"Oh I have a weapon; it's just a little hard finding the time to take these stupid gloves off." I said and she nodded, before grabbing one of the gloves and quickly tearing it down the side, I shook it off and grinned at her before pulling the other one off. "Thanks Nat." I said and she nodded.
"Have you seen Tony?"
"Yeah, little busy." Tony's voice said in our communicators. We both looked to the window as Tony went flying by, being chased by what looked like the War Machine suit.
"Looks like Rhodes was right, Norman did learn how to use the suit." I said and Tony let out a dry laugh.
"Minnie, pay attention!" Clint shouted in my earpiece and I turned around, catching the hands of the person who was coming at me. I could feel their energy in my hands, and I let go of one of their hands, swung my fist back and punched them, sending them right across the room.
"Who the hell was that?" I asked as I shook out my hand.
"I don't know, but it looks like you got a strong one." she said as I quickly ducked a blow, and responded by punching the man in the throat as hard as I could.
"You know kiddo I've been thinking. We really should think of a code name for you since you're apparently going to be part of the team." Tony said in my ear.
"I'm not part of the team." I told him. "I'm just making sure this clusterfuck of bad decisions is ended!"
"Minnie, Madame Hydra." Clint said and I turned to see the dark haired woman that had escaped me when a guy had tackled me and tried to use me as a punching bag. My very large green husband took quick offense to that and threw the guy out a window.
"I see her." I muttered back to Clint.
"Captain, on your six!" Natasha shouted to him and he turned around, knocking out the guy that was coming right at him. I could see Thor battling a very large very unstoppable looking man wearing a very large helmet that seemed to be able to withstand a blow from Thor's hammer, which honestly surprised me. When I turned back, Madame Hydra was gone.
"Clint, what have you got for me?"
"Well, your husband is still fighting Luke Cage. Want to give him a hand?"
"Where is he?"
"Looks like their fight moved into the press conference room."
"Logan?"
"On my way." I ran into the hallway and stopped when I saw Logan.
"Hey, little help?" I asked and he looked at me curiously. I held up the ends of my skirt and he nodded before cutting away part of it for me so that the skirt now went to right above my knees. I was happy that I had thought to wear the knee length leggings underneath, even though Dallas said under any normal circumstances if I thought of mentioning something like that, he would disown me.
We made our way down the hall to the press conference room, where Hulk was in the process of throwing Luke Cage across the room. "Minnie." he said when he caught sight of me. "Hurt?" he asked, walking over. He touched the blood that had dried on my chin and I shook my head.
"No, I'm okay. How 'bout you, need some help?"
"Uncrushable." he said and I smiled as I looked over at Luke who was trying to get to his feet.
"Looks like you're having fun trying." I said and he gave me that roguish grin he had given me in the field when I told him to have fun. I grinned and he looked over me at Logan who had kicked Luke back down. Luke looked apprehensive at Logan who was pointing his claws at the 'Uncrushable' man.
"I've got this one." Logan said to us and I nodded.
"Minnie, I could use a little help in here." I heard Natasha say into my earpiece.
"I've got you red." I heard Peter respond and I looked at Logan who was letting Luke get up slowly.
"You sure you've got this?" I asked and Logan nodded. "You ready to go back?" I asked the Hulk who followed me back to the large room where most of the fighting had been contained.
When we got there he let out a deafening roar that shook the glass windows and the floors. I could see Steve look over at me as the Hulk ran off to help Thor, his eyes widened and he threw his shield in my direction as hard as he could.
I took that moment to throw myself to the ground, the shield connected with someone behind me and I turned around as one of the guys I thought I had knocked out earlier fell to the ground. He scrambled up and I grabbed the shield, and swung it like a bat, hitting him in the face with it. He fell to the ground and lay there unmoving, I checked his pulse, and sighed knowing he was alive.
"Clint?" I asked and I heard him groan softly. "What's going on?"
"You guys needed help." he said, though I hardly heard him, my eyes had locked on Madame Hydra who was barking out orders to someone. She turned and strolled out of the room, into the hallway as though she owned the place and this time I followed her, not even realizing I was still holding Steve's shield.
"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Banner." she said when we were in the hallway.
"Wish I could say the same for you." I replied just as casually.
"This doesn't have to be hard." she said as she walked closer to me.
"Honestly, it's you guys that made this all harder than it needed to me." I said. "We just want things to go back to the way they were."
"Then you're even more naïve then I thought."
"I like to think of it as optimistic." I smiled.
"You know, there are things we can do for each other." she said almost thoughtfully.
"Such as?" I asked. "And uh, fair warning, I'm not really into girls." I said shaking my head.
"You want to know what we did with the DNA of your monster in there," she said slowly. "And we need Dr. Fleischer back." she continued.
"Oh yeah, him; You know he seems pretty comfortable with us. He's been giving us a lot of information; he likes to help out... I really don't see it as a fair trade to be honest." I shrugged and she narrowed her eyes.
"You're lying." she said and I smiled.
"Am I?" I asked. "You should hear some of the things he says about you. He really thought it was amusing when he found out you hadn't killed Nick Fury." her eyes darkened when I said that and her jaw set making me smile. "Oh yeah, he's alive and well. He just had me take over publically so that he could do his thing under the radar." I said, knowing I was winding her up. "Hans, he said that uh, seeing as you and Norman were spending so much... Quality time, together, it really wasn't a surprise that you can't hit a target." With that she took a step towards me, and I stepped back, looking behind me to see where I was. I could see the door to the stairs behind me, and I was happy I had worn flats. This was going to be a close one.
I took off running, and she followed, I threw the door open and ran down the stairs, I could hear her following me. To be honest, I had no idea where I was going, a kick to the back ensured I went down a flight of stairs, I had dropped the shield as I rolled down the stairs, it slid along behind me, when I hit the landing I picked the shield up, and used it to hit Leona into a wall, before I started running down the stairs again.
My knee was throbbing but I knew if I stopped, I'd get thrown down another flight of stairs. I was lucky in the fact that the party was only being held on the sixth floor, so when I hit the basement floor, and I heard Madame Hydra right behind me, I knew exactly where to go.
But not without- I turned and kicked her in the stomach as she came up behind me, making damn sure she was going to follow me.
I punched in a code and pushed through the door to the Arc Reactor and waited, she was right behind me, and when she came into the room, I slammed the door behind me, leaning my back against the door.
"Jarvis, seal the door." I said and I heard the bolts lock behind me.
"This is where you're prepared to die?" Madame Hydra asked as she looked at me.
"I think that's kind of an overreaction. All I did was point out the fact that fucking Norman Osborn seems to have clouded your abilities." I shrugged.
"It was always the plan." she stated as she stepped toward me. I stepped to the side and cleared my throat.
"Minnie, where are you?" I heard Tony ask.
"Screwing Norman was always the plan?" I asked. "Or- was that- Killing me was always the plan?" I asked and she scoffed as I stepped to the side.
"With you alive, the Hulk is untouchable, he is different. Careful. Dead, he makes more mistakes, and we are able to get him on our side." she said simply.
"So what are you going to do? Kill me and leave me under the arc reactor?" I asked, knowing the team could hear me.
"Minnie..." Tony said slowly. "Are you pulling an Iron Monger?"
"If it has to be done." I said, answering Tony's question, and talking to Madame Hydra. "I should warn you though, even if you do kill me, you'll never leave this room alive." I warned her.
"We'll see." she said simply before she closed the distance between us, swinging her arm put to punch me.
I blocked it the way Natasha had shown me, and countered with a knee to her side. She shoved me into the control panel and I looked down at it before I started moving switches and knobs into the highest setting. I pushed away from the control panel and grabbed her by the fist she was swinging at me, and elbowed her in the face with my other arm.
She kneed me in the stomach and threw me to the ground, I rolled over onto my back, and she made a move like she was going to stomp on my chest, I crossed my arms over my chest in an X, blocking her blow, before grabbing her under her knees, and pulling, knocking her onto her ass. I scrambled to my feet, as did she; she grabbed me by the elbow and swung me around, before letting go of me, sending me into the railing next to the arc reactor.
I turned around, using the railing as leverage for me to lift my feet off the ground and push her away with both of my feet, she was back on the ground and I jumped over her, moving the controls into more override positions.
"I can do this." I said into my headset. "Is anyone near the control room?" I asked.
"I am." I heard Steve reply and I groaned softly.
"Steve, I need you to get in there." I said as Madame Hydra jumped back up, and grabbed me by the hair. She slammed me face first into a wall, I elbowed her in the face, sending her back a few feet before I turned around, and using a move Natasha had taught me, I ran at her, putting one foot on her semi bent knee, I used the force, stepped up and kicked her in the face, before jumping to the side in a single motion. "Ow, ow, ow." I muttered, as my knee screamed in protest.
"I'm here Minnie." Steve said in my communicator. "What do you need?"
"Find the panels labeled "Main Arc Reactor"."
"Okay."
"Minnie, what you're about to do-"
"I know Tony." I said. "But I really don't have any other choice."
"Sure you do, wait for Clint to get down there, and let him take care of that bitch." he protested.
"She took everything from me Tony." I said as she climbed to her feet, and kicked me in the knee. I let out a small scream of pain as I fell to the ground. "It has to be me." I hissed, holding my knee. She took the opportunity to kick me in the face. I could hear Tony explaining to Steve what he had to do.
"What's about to happen?" I heard Clint ask.
"Minnie, where are you, I'll come help." I heard Peter say.
"It's no use bug boy, she's sealed herself in." Tony said. I caught her leg as she went to kick me in the chest, and held on as she tried to pull it back. I could feel warm fluid in my mouth when I coughed; she must have broken one of my ribs at some point. I punched her, once in the stomach, and the other time in her kidney, as I stood up, and limped toward the Arc Reactor. I could see Steve's shield lying on the floor, not far from where I was.
"Give up yet?" Madame Hydra asked and I grinned, before spitting my own blood on the ground.
"Why? You getting tired?" I asked before blocking a blow from her. She used her force to knock my head into the bar of the railing. I groaned, feeling her hit me once or twice while I was down, but I didn't really perceive it as I tried to blink away the spots in my eyes. My teammates voices in my ears were muffled, I shook my head, trying to focus.
"-Ready-"
"-Minnie-"
"-Big Guy-"
"Are you ready Steve?" I asked.
"Minnie, Stark told me what could happen, are you sure-"
"Don't make me quote Star Trek right now." I said with a small grin as I punched at Leona, she blocked my punch, and elbowed me in the face, I could feel my nose break, but I took the opportunity to punch her in the throat, she shoved me onto the ground, I corrected how I fell, both of my hands hit the ground over my shoulders, as she came at me, I lifted me legs up, and pushed them into her, and swung my legs up, over me as if I were going to go into the plow pose.
The leverage of me on the ground swung her over me, and into the ground. I rolled over to the shield and picked it up before I went to the ladder on the other side of the room, leading up to the catwalk I knew Tony sometimes liked to sit on and stare at the Arc.
He said it helped him clear his mind, looking into the Arc Reactor like that. When I got onto the catwalk I wasn't surprised to see her right behind me, I backed up until we were right over the Arc Reactor, knowing if I didn't plan this right, she could very well succeed at her mission. She made the first move, kicking me in the knee, yet again; I fell to the metal floor of the catwalk making it swing slightly.
"Minnie, what's going on?" I heard Steve ask.
"Nothing I can't handle Cap." I groaned.
"I'm coming down there." I heard Natasha declare.
"I've got it." I tried to insist, but it was pointless for her to come down, the door was sealed.
The catwalk swung again as Leona dragged me up by the hair and punched me.
"I have been training my entire life." she said to me. "You get a few lessons from the Black Widow and you think you can take me on?" she questioned.
"I don't really know what I thought." I said as I coughed up some more blood, it spilled down my lips and chin, probably looking pretty disgusting. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, most likely just smearing it.
She stood above me and I looked at her for a moment before I grabbed her ankle. I could feel myself getting an energy boost, and when she realized what I was doing, she kicked me pretty hardly, and stomped on my shoulder, making me let go. It was enough for me though, I held onto the bars on the catwalk, and jumped up, kicking her in the chin hardly.
"You know," she said as she looked up at me. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead now."
"How do you figure that one?" I asked.
"Easy. If it weren't for the serum that turned you into what you are now, you'd have been killed when Norman sent out the Abomination."
"Why side with him Leona?" I asked as I panted. "You're obviously smart, and cunning. Why side with that moron?"
"Funding." she said simply and I let out a small laugh, which made me gasp, holding my ribs, I fell to my knees, coughing.
"Steve." I said into my earpiece.
"I'm here." he said.
Leona had turned around, letting me jump up, climb up onto the hand railing, and hold onto the bars screwing the walkway into the ceiling. I wrapped my legs around her, and used what force I had left to knock her off of the catwalk, and into the arc reactor.
"Now Steve!" I shouted as she fell. I picked up his shield and used it to block the force of the overloading Arc Reactor, the force of which sent me off of the catwalk, I used it to cover my side that was exposed to the explosion, the force of which sent me across the room, into the wall, and onto the ground, in a huddled, bruised, bloody mess.
"We have no fight with you." Thor said to the large man wearing the helmet. The man laughed as he seemed to absorb Thor's punch, before swinging his fist back, and punching the Asgardian god in the face.
Thor fell to the ground, before holding his hand out, catching Mjölnir, before swinging his mighty hammer into the large man's stomach. The man stumbled back, before taking another step towards Thor, only to pause when he heard a loud roar. Both he and Thor looked as the Hulk came over to the two of them, wasting no time in slamming his fist into the man's side. He flew back into the wall, part of it breaking under the massive man's weight, he laughed darkly as he stood up, looking between the God of Thunder and the Hulk who stood there, ready to fight.
Thor was standing near the windows, and as the large man started running towards the Hulk, Thor took the opportunity to throw Mjölnir at the window. It shattered easily, and Mjölnir flew back to Thor, who used it to summon lightning to his hammer, before pointing it at the large man the Hulk was now trying to push back. The lightning seemed to have a very little effect on him.
He had started running at the Hulk, who tried to stop the man with his shoulder, the man continued to push against the Hulk, effectively sliding him back inch by inch, the Hulk eyed him slightly as Thor tried shocking the man with lightning, however he seemed to realize it had no effect. The Hulk looked at the man, and something seemed to click, he turned his body slightly, and using every amount of energy he had he started to push the man in the same direction.
At first it was hard, getting him to change direction, but when he did, he didn't stop, the Hulk was able to shove him right through a broken window. "Good work Banner." Thor panted. He looked up as he sat Tony flying by the window backwards, shooting his repulsar at the War Machine armor that was flying by. Another suit of armor went chasing behind the War Machine armor, also shooting their repulsars.
"Hey, Point Break, how about one of those power boosts?" Tony asked in Thor's earpiece. Thor pointed Mjölnir at the figure of Tony Stark flying by and hit him easily with a large bolt of lightning. He could see Iron Man slow down slightly, and lose some altitude, making Hulk grow uneasy, but when the lightning stopped, Tony held up both his repulsars and shot at the War Machine suit.
He could hear what Steve and Minnie were saying to each other, and he juggled fighting Norman Osborn and explaining to Steve, in ways the old man could understand how to start the overload for the arc reactor, which he knew was what Minnie wanted. Just like he knew that if it was done, it could very well kill her, if she had no cover. He hoped she would get behind the control panel, not that that would necessarily be enough, but it would give them a better chance of helping.
He turned back to what he was doing, Norman was using the huge machine gun on the War Machine suit to shoot at Rhodey who had borrowed the Mark VIIII, Tony himself was in the Mark X, trying to blast Norman out of the air.
"Thor, I've got an idea, you may want to get out of the way." Tony said before flying over to the Hulk who stared down at him. "Hey there big guy, little help?" he asked and the Hulk grinned, understanding what Tony wanted. "Rhodey, come in check out this party. We even got a DJ, you probably remember him, he was around last time you suited up." Tony said before backing up, giving Rhodey enough room to fly through the open window, Norman hot on his tail, the older guy tried to stop the suit when he saw the Hulk waiting there for him, but the large green creature was able to reach out and pluck him from the air, before throwing him into the room. "Thanks big guy." Tony said as Norman's older semi outdated suit started flickering.
Tony walked over to Norman, as did Rhodey who held out the repulsars, pointing them at Norman who stopped moving while Tony knelt down and pulled the Arc Reactor from the front of the suit. As he did, the building started to shake before the lights went out.
"It's an earthquake!" someone shouted and Tony shook his head.
"Tony, I'm outside the room to the arc reactor, what's the code to get in?" Natasha asked in his ear.
"1-8-5-4." he replied. "Is there light under the door?"
"No."
"Open it." he said before looking at the Hulk who was breathing heavily and looking around the room. "Hey big guy," he said when he noticed most of the fighting had stopped. The Hulk looked at him questioningly. "We're gonna need Bruce back."
"What happened?" Logan asked. "What did she do?"
"She overloaded the arc reactor." Clint said answering Logan's question.
"The what?" Logan asked.
"The arc reactor, it's what's powering this entire building, she overloaded it." Peter said as he walked over. "I'll keep an eye on our friend here."
"Me too Tony. Don't worry about him, you guys go see if Minnie's okay." Rhodey said as the Hulk shrank back down to his normal size, and looked around.
"No time to explain, down to the basement." Tony said as Bruce held up the shredded remnants of his pants. He followed Tony, knowing better than to question him when he used that tone of voice.
"Hey Doc, I grabbed you this, it was in Minnie's office." Clint said tossing Bruce a backpack off of a bar.
"Backup energy is now running." Jarvis said as the lights flickered on. The elevator pulled up to their floor and they stepped inside, everyone looked the other way while Bruce quickly pulled on the pants from in the backpack, and slipped his feet into the slip on shoes.
Because the building was running on backup power the elevator was running particularly slow. Minnie had kept an emergency backpack everywhere, she said it was for the nights that he decided to sleep at Stark Tower, but he knew it was for moments like this. As he pulled the shirt on, he felt a pair of spare glasses in the breast pocket.
He buttoned it up while the elevator slowed to a stop, and then the door opened.
Oh boy, what's gonna happen next?!
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