The Start of Something New
You woke up to Natasha shaking your arm, the aircraft already on the ground. “This is where we’re meeting the rest,” she explained, pulling you to your feet. Unsteadily stepping onto the snow covered ground, you followed Natasha towards a group of familiar faces; before you stood Hawkeye, Captain America and Iron Man in all his glory, discussing their plan of attack.
“The place is swarming with guards, though they’re nothing we can’t easily handle. Strucker should be inside the central part of the building; but remember, the scepter is the main objective,” Captain rambled on as you stood awkwardly besides Natasha. “Nice of you to show up Romanova,” Stark taunted, glancing at you. “And you are?” “(F/N) (L/N), I’m not exactly sure what help I can be,” you spoke meekly, not even sure why Natasha had dragged you along. The last thing you wanted was to get unwanted attention.
“She can help,” the redhead confirmed, handing you an earpiece, “that’s all you need to know.” With no room to argue, the team moved out, you dragging slightly behind them. You didn’t know what the hell was going on. You hide behind a tree once the base came into view. The Avengers were trained to fight, you on the other hand, not so much.
“Um, you’re going to have to figure out a way past that,” you muttered, as the armed men came closer. “Don’t worry Newbie, they aren’t anything to be concerned with,” Stark’s voice chuckled through the headset. “I’m referring to the barrier surrounding the base; otherwise this is essentially a death wish.” You heard him talk to his suit, verifying your information before replying, “Keen observation kid.”
Rolling your (e/c) orbs, you observed the Avengers spring into action.
Captain America took out several goons, flying by on his motorcycle. Hawkeye’s rapid-fire with his bow took out those hiding within the trees, his accuracy never faltering. Stark had flown head first into the fight, trying to find a weak spot for the force field that surrounded the fortress. The Hulk could be heard in the distance, but you didn’t need to see him in order to know what he was doing; smashing. Thor and Natasha were long out of sight, leaving you quivering behind a tree.
You heard a dull thud ring in your ear, followed by Tony. “Shit.” “Language,” Cap commented. Only the Avengers would have time to joke while raiding a HYDRA base. Shaking your head, you focused on the task at hand.
Pull it together (Y/N), you can do this. They can’t hurt you, just stay focused. Glancing from behind the tree, you noticed a guard trying to pull himself from underneath the remains of a tank. Grabbing a handful of snow, you crept closer, hiding behind trees as you went. Looking down, you gripped the dagger that had formed in your hands, trying to steady your nerves.
Before you could change your mind, you jumped out from behind the tree, sinking your dagger deep into the man’s neck. He made a short gasping sound before lying limp, blood oozing out of his wound. Stepping back you did a little dance, silently cheering. Until reality hit you, you had just killed a man. A man who was only fighting for a cause he believed in and you killed him for disagreeing. Tears pricked at your eyes, as you covered your mouth in horror. Kneeling next to his body, you changed the snow around him into a patch of flowers, whispering a silent prayer.
“Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that cap just said “Language”?” “I know. Just slipped out,” Cap sighed. So much for a silent prayer.
As you stood up, wiping your eyes, the ground began to rumble. Stark had destroyed the force field, while you had cried over killing a single enemy soldier. Running towards the base you were amazed at the piles of bodies, wondering if one day you would be able to kill without a second thought. “Clint’s been hit,” someone yelled over the earpiece as a sharp pain in your side sent you to the ground, as the wind whipped by you.
“What the hell?” you spat, clutching your side, ignoring the argument taking form in your ear. The wind returned, flipping you onto your back. “Shit,” you cussed, becoming increasingly irritated. As the mysterious wind came around for a third time, you transformed your epidermis into adamantium. A dull thud broke the silence, followed by a grunt of pain. “Damn,” a voice groaned, a young man sprawled out on the ground before you.
“W-Who are you?” you demanded, returning your skin to its normal composition. The man stared at you before answering, “You are not of the Avengers.” “No? Man, I don’t know what the hell is happening anymore,” you threw your hands up in frustration. “That still doesn’t answer my question, who are you?” you asked again, wondering about his abilities. “Pietro,” he stood up slowly, rubbing his head.
“You’re pretty damn fast,” you commented, glancing at the base looming a few hundred yards away. “And you’re a lot harder than you look,” his Slovakian accent became noticeable the more he spoke. “(Y/N), you still alive?” Natasha’s voice filled your ear, reminding you how serious this situation actually was. Reaching up, you scratched the side of your head, nonchalantly adjusting the earpiece. “Yeah,” you muttered, managing an answer for both of them. “Tony might need some help, try to get inside and see what damage you can do,” her voice was cut short by the sound of multiple bullets.
“The names (Y/N), I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” you gave Pietro a small smile before being engulfed by the earth. You spiraled into the ground, heading straight towards the underground chambers of the HYDRA base, where Stark had managed to weasel his way into. As you got closer to the chambers, you sensed there was more than just Stark wandering around. Surfacing behind a few crates, you silently watched as a girl with brown hair crept up on Stark as he marveled over the technology HYDRA was currently working on.
With a twist of her hand, red energy seeped into Stark’s head, causing him to falter. She stepped back into the shadows as Stark stared blankly in front of him. That’s when you noticed Pietro had appeared by the brunette's side, watching the billionaire become unable to function. They were part of HYDRA, your mind screamed at you, as you crept closer to the cocky playboy. Stepping out of your hiding place, you placed a hand on Stark’s head, removing the negative energy that was manipulating his mind.
Turning towards Pietro and the mysterious girl, you noticed their emotions. They were confused, lost causes looking for something to believe in; they were exactly like you. “I don’t want to fight; I don’t even know why I’m here. But I also don’t want you to get caught, please, escape while you can,” you pleaded, holding Stark steady as he recovered from his acid trip. Before you could say another word, they had disappeared with the wind, which you figured was Pietro. Without a word, Stark managed to steady himself. Stretching his arm out, an attachment of his suit covered part of his arm. Quickly glancing at you, he gripped the scepter, before heading towards the revenue point.
What you would’ve done to destroy the damn thing right then and there, if you had only known what was to come.