hell on earth
Nights in Gotham were quite beautiful if you ignore the crime left, right, and center. Rory sits high above it all, perched on the edge of a building. Her suit’s inbuilt heater is warming her perfectly, and her hood is up to stop the slight breeze from sneaking in.
Her hair was done neatly in braids, something she had programmed into the suit. The design was the one Nat had done the day of the fight in Germany. Her old suit looked almost the exact same but with no hood. It was also made by SHIELD so wasn’t nearly as advanced.
Her original suit was made by her best friend, well, her only friend. Her name was Ellie, she was a former field agent turned technician when Hydra decided they would make an appearance. She was also the one who found her after her parents were killed.
Rory had been inconsolable, holding her mother’s body like if she let go for even a second, she would disintegrate. Ellie had come out of the shadows and squeezed Rory’s shoulder. She waited for Rory to get up on her own accord. When Rory finally let her mother go, Ellie was there to help her get back on her feet. She was the one to recommend Rory for SHIELD and then trained her when Rory got accepted. She also helped Rory to manage her powers because the mutant gene activated when her parents died.
Rory owed Ellie her life. Without her, Rory would’ve taken so long to pick up the pieces of her life that there was no way she would’ve survived.
Rory adjusts her sitting position so she can rest her chin on her knee. She hadn’t seen Ellie for at least 6 months now. They were due for a catch-up soon but of course, the alien invasion had to happen. Just her luck. Maybe Rory would never see her again.
Maybe she’ll never see Evelyn, the exchange student Rory works with again.
Luca, the guy who owns the café. Francis, the little old lady who goes to the café every day at 10.
Steve, Sam, or Nat.
Bucky even.
Surely the Avengers would come for her. They would realize she was gone and try to find her. If anyone could figure out dimensional travel, it was them. She might just have to wait a little bit. They couldn’t work it out overnight, and they would still be regrouping from Thanos. And…
She had gone missing when Thanos snapped.
They think I’m dead.
Rory lifted her head with an acrid taste in her mouth. Her blood felt like it had turned to ice in her veins.
No one was coming for her. Nobody even knew she was alive. If she was going to go home then she had to do it herself.
There was a certain weight on her shoulders now. At the back of her mind, she thought that the Avengers would come for her. She wouldn’t need to do anything but be there when they got through.
The only other option was to find the person who brought her here. But the chances of finding someone who had a universe all to themselves were slim. You don’t tend to come back after dropping someone in a different universe.
Instead of crushing her, knowing that she had to do it herself solidified her resolve to go home. Rory was sure that if anyone could see her eyes, there would a fire burning there. There was only one other thing she had wanted this much: becoming an Avenger.
The clang of metal on metal and voices from behind her dragged her out of her head. She turned to see two figures soaring through the air, flinging their grappling hook every once in a while. They were on a collision course for Rory.
Damn Bats, interrupting her late-night thinking. This roof didn’t have any kind of structure that she could hide behind, only the door. Anyone would be able to see her.
The Bats were getting closer and they would be able to see her soon without a doubt. If she swings away now, there is no way they wouldn’t see her.
Using her quick thinking and great judgment, Rory decides the best idea would be to jump off the building and stick to the side of it. She does so and waits.
The voices get nearer and easier to make out. She recognizes one as Red Robin, but the other one sounds younger and unfamiliar. They keep getting closer until Rory is convinced that they will pass her by. Then, the quiet thud of feet comes from way too close for comfort.
Of course they land on this building. Of all the buildings in Gotham, it had to be this one.
“And what exactly do you want me to do if we run into her?” The younger one asks.
“Catch her,” Red Robin says, sounding like he’s been over this at least a thousand times. Soft footsteps inch their way over to where Rory was sitting minutes ago and she prays that they don’t look down.
“I don’t know why you can’t do this yourself,” the young one says. It’s him that is getting closer to the edge. He steps lightly like Rory was taught. Good thing Rory has enhanced hearing.
“Because I want to make sure she doesn’t get away,” Red Robin explains. Red Robin sounds like he’s on the other side of the building.
“You’re scared of her.”
Who are they talking about?
The younger one leans on the edge of the building and looks out over the city. He’s wearing a domino mask, the body of his suit is red, with black sleeves and pants, but with green gloves and boots. God, is that another cape?
He looks Arab from what Rory can see. He also has a hood that obscures most of his face.
“What? No,” Red Robin tries to defend himself. “It’s just she could have some really important information”
“You’re scared,” the younger one insists. These guys better move away soon. Rory would move to another side of the building but moving in any way would bring attention to her.
Whoever they’re talking about must be important. She would not want to be on the other end of the Bats.
“No, more grossed out than anything. I really don’t want to touch those webs.”
Oh.
Now Rory really doesn’t want this guy to look down. They would get her, she would spill all her secrets, they would experiment on her…
“What will you even ask her?” The younger one asks. He’s still looking out.
“Who she is, who she works for, what she can do,” Red Robin continues on with the list. The younger one is seemingly disappointed with his questions because he drops his head. Rory’s heart skips a beat.
“How to stick to walls?” The younger one suggests to Red Robin. He continues to stare at Rory, not moving.
“What?” Red Robin must turn around because there is the sound of footsteps coming in the direction of Rory. A second later, he skids to a stop, his hands bracing himself on the ledge. His head leans over to look at Rory.
Rory unsure of where to go from here throws her hand up in an awkward wave.
“Hey, Cape Guy,” Rory says. “How you been? I see you’ve made a friend, good for you.”
Red Robin looks to his side like he didn’t know the younger one was there. He snaps his head back down to look at Rory.
“I’m Robin,” the younger one says. “And not his friend.”
Red Robin looks back to Robin with the slightest frown but looks back down with a poker face. They stay in a tense silence for a few seconds, turning awkward rapidly. Rory takes a step backward (down?) and Red Robin springs into action.
“We just want to ask you a few questions,” he says, getting his grappling hook out. Rory takes another step back.
“You do realize I heard your conversation and what was it you said? ‘Catch her’.” Rory uses air quotes. “I’m not in the mood for being caught at the moment, so I think I’ll just go home.”
Rory turns to run toward the street but Red Robin deploys his grappling hook onto the ledge. He sends himself off the edge, straight for Rory. She sidesteps him and he plummets down to the street. The line goes tight and he stops. Robin jumps off without a grappling hook and goes straight for Rory. She sidesteps once again, but Robin reaches out and grabs her arm. The impact is enough for Rory to misstep and her grip slips.
They both fall until Rory sends a web to the top of the building. Robin holds on for dear life with one hand but reaches for something Rory can’t see with his other hand. Rory uses the momentum to swing up to level with the building. She flicks another web out that sticks to the top of the building. She pulls both her and Robin onto the building. The extra weight from Robin makes Rory topple over when she lands.
Rory rolls and pops back up to see that Robin had done the same thing. Whatever he was reaching for was now in his hand glinting in the moonlight. Her instinct is screaming at her that this guy is dangerous.
His hood had been thrown off in the fall so now Rory could see his face. She had known he was young, but this was a kid. He couldn’t be more than 14. He would be around the age Rory started at SHIELD so she wasn’t all that shocked, but still. He was a child, that was obvious.
There was something familiar about his body language. It was trained for stealth. Now, standing before her, Rory could see that he knew how to fight. It reminded her of Natasha.
This boy was a trained assassin.
(She wasn’t a great fighter but she was fast and had a sixth sense. She’d also had a few training sessions with Nat, so she’ll be right.)
Robin threw the knife at Rory square between the eyes. Rory caught it and moved her arm just in time to see Robin come at her with another knife he pulled from god knows where. His speed surprised her but she was quicker. As long as he didn’t whip out a machine gun, she could outrun him for as long as she liked.
He slashed at her with the knife, but Rory caught his arm. He swiped his leg out in an attempt to sweep her legs out from under her. Rory jumped and twisted his arm. Robin slipped out of her grip with the knife still in his hand. He went for her again, this time with quick jabs here and there.
She blocked or dodged nearly all of them, nearly stabbing him with the knife she caught. She’d be an easy target for him if it weren’t for her instinct. He kicked for her abdomen with enough force that Rory needed both hands to block it. He came around quickly with the knife so Rory ducked and put some distance between them.
He’s not stopping any time soon.
Rory will have to go on offense and pin him. He is standing almost exactly between Rory and the door.
Rory runs at him and uses a web to stick his foot to the ground. She raises both arms and thwips out two webs to connect her to the door. She gets closer to Robin who is still trying to rip his foot free. She jumps, using her speed and webs to maintain her air. She makes contact with Robin’s chest. He gets launched back into the door, the air knocked out of him. Rory flings the knife and it finds a home in his cape close to his shoulder, fixing him to the door. Rory pulls out her gun and aims it at him.
“Enough,” Rory orders. Robin pulls the knife out of his cape but doesn’t move any further. There’s a shuffling noise on the far side of the building and Red Robin peeks over the edge of the building. He pulls himself up rather gracefully and makes a quick read of the situation.
“Put the gun down,” Red Robin says in what Rory can only describe as his Big Boy voice. She does what he says and holsters the gun. Robin moves over to stand beside Red Robin, putting the knife back wherever he got it from.
“We just want to ask you a few questions,” Red Robin says. He takes a few steps forward, making his body language more open. Rory stays silent, watching them both with critical eyes.
A few questions couldn’t be that bad, could it? She wouldn’t answer any questions about where she was from or the fact that she was a mutant, but other than that? Go for it.
“What about?” Rory lifts her chin.
“Who trained you?” Robin asks from behind Red Robin. That’s…not what she was expecting. The best way to go would be to tell a truth, not the truth. That way she won’t be caught up trying to come up with a lie.
“You don’t know them.”
“You’d be surprised,” Robin tries again.
“You don’t know them,” Rory says with finality. Robin frowns.
“Who are you?” Red Robin takes over the interrogation.
“You know who I am,” Rory says.
“I know your alias,” Red Robin says. “What’s your real name?”
Rory scoffs.
“I think you know the importance of a secret identity,” Rory says. Red Robin nods like he expected that answer.
“And who do you work for?” Red Robin leaned in, on the edge of his seat waiting for her answer.
But it never came.
In the space between buildings, a void opened. An eternal blackness contained in a perfect circle.
Rory was transfixed.
Without warning, the darkness changed to a dim blue light. It revealed a multitude of instruments Rory didn’t know the use for. The floor was sleek and reflected the light unnaturally. Standing perfectly in the middle of the circle was him.
He was covered in black spots but there was no mistaking it was him. His hand was outstretched, pointing to Rory.
Rory was drawn to him, her feet moving on their own. Red Robin must’ve thought she was walking to him because he moved back. Robin took up a defensive stance, ready to protect.
Rory kept going. As soon as Red Robin noticed she wasn’t looking at him, the portal disappeared. It left nothing in its wake, not a single discrepancy.
She pushed past Red Robin, then Robin, all the way to the edge of the building. She got up on the ledge and flicked a web to the place where the portal was.
What the fuck?
She let her arm drop.
“What are you doing?” Red Robin asked. He came up behind her. Rory stayed quiet for a moment.
What was she doing? The portal was obviously gone. She wouldn’t gain anything from standing here and staring at it.
“Nothing,” Rory said before stepping back. She stood right next to Red Robin, studying his face. He gave away nothing. No sign that he thought she was crazy. His heartbeat was the same. Her head dropped, heaving a sigh.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was never going home. There was absolutely no way that Rory could come up with the technology to get home. Jemma said that they couldn’t pull it off. That spotty guy was NOT on her side. She was stuck, no sugarcoating it.
No one was coming, she wasn’t going.
Maybe she did die? Got snapped away like half the universe and this was her hell?
Rory looked back up. Robin and Red Robin were watching her, not just looking. It was as if they were studying her, figuring out what she was going to do next.
Rory took another deep breath and turned around. She leaned on the ledge and watched the city. The lights were beautiful.
Maybe it won’t be too bad here.
As if the universe just wanted to prove her wrong, a gunshot rung out in the street below. She closed her eyes and then jumped off the building.
She landed directly in front of the gun, the man pulling the trigger instantly. She dodged the bullet. She snatched the gun from him and bent the barrel before dropping it at the man’s feet. She gave him one swift punch to the face. He got knocked to the ground, unconscious.
Content with her work, she webbed her way back to the roof and sat down on the ledge. Both of the boys looked a little shell-shocked but hid it well. She wiped a hand down her face forgetting about the mask.
“Sorry, what was it you were asking me?”
Jemma can’t believe her luck.
She had first gotten interested in dimensional travel when she was a little kid. Everyone she met told her it was science fiction, even her parents. They told her she would never make a living out of it, but now look at her. She was one of the highest-paid scientists in the state!
Now, someone literally rocked up at her door claiming they were from another dimension, with evidence? It was a dream come true, or a miracle, or something, because how crazy is that? To find out about a counterpart in the other universe was astronomical.
Jemma was so happy with it that she couldn’t even put it into words. The indescribable joy has followed her around all day, she’s even gotten a few comments.
She hasn’t been very cheerful since Leo died but this was great. This was exactly what she needed to get back into work.
She went over the notes from her conversation with Rory. There was a lot of interesting stuff but not much of it was useful. Rory seemed pretty clueless about how she got here, which didn’t make Jemma’s job very easy.
One of the guys who sit down the other end during meetings (he was new and she had forgotten his name) had a good idea about the magnetic field but it was overshadowed by the announcement of a grant they were getting from Wayne Enterprises. It was going to be massive, according to their team leader. It would supercharge their work and give them so many more resources.
They were going to have a gala in two days to celebrate. It wasn’t their idea but Bruce insisted on it. Jemma was planning on bringing Rory to show her what they had been working on and how they would send her home.
They were on the brink of something, Jemma could feel it.