Revelations

The wind whipped through her hair as Adelina dug her heels into the bottom of the truck bed, clutching the cold metal of the surrounding railing as Maria Hill hastily maneuvered the vehicle. The tunnel roared with the echoes of tires against the cement as the lights grew dim. Peering over the edge of the bars above her, Adelina analyzed the route that the cars ahead of them were following in their pursuit of the Asgardian invader.

“Take the next left,” Adelina shouted, her voice straining to reach the agent in the front seat as the sound of metal against metal reverberated throughout the tunnel. “We can cut them off from the front.” She caught the nod from Hill and rolled her shoulders back in anticipation.

“Hold on!” The agent warned before making the sharp left and stepping on the gas once more. Adelina tightened her grip along the railing, preparing herself for the next turn of the wheel as they edged closer to their point of intersection. The smell of gasoline wafted through the air, mingling with the dust as the tunnel convulsed. Adelina knew it was only a matter of time before the walls collapsed around them.

She tossed the thought aside as Hill made the final turn, throwing the truck in front of their target. The engine roared as the vehicles collided and Adelina stumbled against the bars, adjusting to the change in momentum. Her gaze landed on Barton who narrowed his eyes at her before attempting to maneuver the truck to the side, ignorant of the car that trailed him from behind. Loki, however, provided quick assistance as he aimed the scepter and launched a sharp blast of energy towards it, sending the car tumbling through the air.

Adelina inhaled, tugging at the pools of energy that swirled within her as she focused on the large scraps of metal that had detached from the car as it struck the wall. She seized them with her mind, wrenching them towards the truck in front of her - and more specifically, towards the man with the scepter who remained unaware as he turned his gaze on her.


As their eyes locked, Adelina bared her teeth in a vicious smile that only grew as the scraps of metal struck their intended target. Loki fell forward, slamming his scepter against the side of the truck as Barton swerved from the impact, barely missing the wall as he struggled to regain control of the wheel. Hill used this brief moment of weakness to dislodge her firearm, aiming at Barton. The attempt was unsuccessful as he returned fire in a matter of seconds, using both her and Adelina’s surprise to his advantage as he pressed on the gas and veered left. Hill slammed on the breaks as the truck spun out, but managed to straighten the wheel just as Barton slipped past, making a break for the exit.

Adelina ignored Loki’s arrogant smirk as he aimed his scepter towards her, already producing her next course of action. Her nails dug into her palms as she forced herself to focus on the path ahead, summoning her energy into the air around her. Her gaze rested on the ceiling as dust slipped through cracks forming in the cement. In less than a second, the cracks rippled across the tunnel in front of them until rock began falling from above.

“Drive through it,” she yelled, barely loud enough for just Hill to register. The agent glanced towards her, an incredulous look upon her face. “Just trust me!” Adelina demanded, receiving a curt nod from Hill in return.

Adelina watched as Barton braked before swerving to avoid collision with the falling debris, smiling to herself at his hesitation. Her energy pulsed beneath her skin as she maintained the illusion ahead, continuing to build upon the destruction. She was so focused on expanding the mirage that she didn’t notice Loki preparing to launch his own form of attack until Hill began firing once more. Adelina jerked her head towards Loki, meeting his gaze as he refused to acknowledge the bullets that struck the back of the truck, only inches from where he stood. He tilted his head, eyes narrowed like a predator examining its prey. She couldn’t help but to hold his stare, brows furrowed as a sense of familiarity swept through her. Her breath caught in her throat as his voice filled her head.

You’re supposed to be dead, it spoke, laced with a hint of confusion.

You should have tried harder, she snarled, heart racing as she attempted to shield her mind from further invasion. She had never once had someone break that barrier, yet he seemed to do it with such ease that it made her tremble with rage.

That is not what I meant, he began, though it does not matter as you will be dead soon regardless.

Adelina had been so distracted by Loki that she had not felt the energy surge expanding from the center of the facility as the chamber collapsed upon itself, imploding with a terrifying magnitude. She stumbled from the convulsions that wrecked havoc within the tunnel and glanced ahead to see her illusion dissipate into purple light as her energy rebounded. The noise behind her grew louder and she turned to see a duplicate of her own creation - except this was real, and the walls around them were truly collapsing. Hill cursed as she slammed on the brakes to avoid a large piece of falling debris, blocking them from their pursuit. Adelina inhaled, eyes widening as the ceiling caved in and she raised her hands with only a second to spare, pushing energy from herself and towards the debris as she maneuvered the rocks around them, maintaining a barrier to prevent them from being crushed.

Minutes passed as dust floated through the air, clouding their lungs as both women climbed out of the truck, coughing. The sound of the escaping vehicle’s tires slowly faded from the other side of the cement barrier - it was the sound of defeat. Adelina leaned against the door beside Hill, closing her eyes as she tried to soothe the fit of rage that was clawing at her skin. Not only had her target escaped, but he had invaded her mind, distracted her with words that she did not quite understand - words that left her with a foul taste in her mouth.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Phil Coulson’s voice over the walkie talkie as Hill retrieved it from her belt with one hand, wiping a mixture of sweat and blood from her brow with the other.

“Director? Director Fury, do you copy?”

“The Tesseract is with the hostile force,” Fury declared in response. It seemed he had made it out of the building, after all. “I have men down. Hill?”

“A lot of men still under, don’t know how many survivors. Tanase is with me,” Hill said, glancing in her direction, a small frown on her face. Adelina could feel the slight wisp of anxiety tethered to the woman beside her, a small token of their loss and the uncertainty of what was to follow.

“Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase,” Fury ordered, his voice clouded with an emotion that Adelina could only describe as hollow, encased with the same ire that coursed through her own veins.

“Roger that.” Hill answered, rolling her shoulders back as she gathered herself. The night was only just beginning, it seemed, as Fury concluded his orders with a final statement.

“This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we’re at war.”