An Elemental Manipulation

Chapter Nine

The weekend with Steve went by way too fast and now we're headed back home to the compound. I finish packing everything into my suitcase when I get a text message.

Nat: hey we need you guys back asap...
        
                                                                                                Me: ok, see you soon.

"Steve!! Nat says we're needed back at the compound asap, when are we leaving?" Steve makes a loud groan down in the kitchen while I'm on my way down the stairs.

"I didn't want this weekend to end yet and now they're telling us that we're needed back now?!" He glares out the window for a moment.

After he's done glaring out the window, he comes to help me with the bags and the suitcases. We walk out to the car and put everything in the car, I open my door to get in and Steve walks back into the cabin. I don't think anything about it so I get in and shut the door. Steve comes back out with the keys in his hands and gets into the car. The car starts and we leave the cabin and lake behind us.

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A few hours goes by before we make it back to the compound. When we get inside Nat is waiting for us. She's standing in front of the bar in the kitchen tapping her feet impatiently.

"Where is everyone Nat?"

"They left already, but I stayed here to wait for you guys. We need to hurry so go suit up. We leave in 10, if you're not back by then then you'll be finding your own way there."

"Okay, okay. Nat can you grab one of my bags and we'll take them up to my room and I'll get ready?"

"Yeah, but like I said, we need to hurry."

We run up the stairs, I go to my room and Steve goes to his. I throw my bags and suitcase on the floor and grab my suit. I've never had to put my suit on before but it's skin tight like Nat's but with silver and blue on black. I tie my hair up into a tight ponytail and run back out the door to the chopper.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.!! Start the chopper and track the others, NOW!" I yell into the kitchen on our way to the top of the building to get to the chopper.

By the time we got to the chopper, it's started and had the other team on radar. Steve helps me and Nat get in before himself. As soon as his foot hit the step bar to get in, the chopper was in the air. Steve makes it seem like he's done this a thousand times before. I push the thought out of my mind and focus on what we're doing.

Nat gets our attention and says,

"We're taking down a Hydra base today. We got a hit off someone the Hydra was going to strike at the towers sometime this week so we're taking the base that has the weaponry to do so. Not all of them have the things to fire at us."

"Okay, are there any hostages? How big of a base are we talking about?"

"We're not sure about hostages and it's the same base that Bucky was rescued from by Steve. They rebuilt it after what happened the last time you were there." Nat gives Steve a concerned look.

"I'm fine Nat, what happened was a long time ago and Buck is fine now. Did they build a replica of the last or is it different?"

"It's a replica so you should know your way around there pretty well. You and Harley should go into buildings to clear it out and the rest of us will fight outside and move in when we can. Just try not to die."

A few minutes passes by when Nat grabs a parachute and throws it to me. I look at it in disbelief,

"We're not jumping out of here are we?!"

"We have too, if they hear the chopper that'll blow everyone's cover. I know where the rest of the team is at. Here's your ear pieces so you know where the team is at once you're on the ground. Try to get onto the ground as soon as you can, don't glide for very long." Nat nods at us and jumps.

Steve looks at me, smiles a devilish smile and gracefully falls out of the chopper. No time to wait now, I close my eyes and aim straight down, I pull the trigger to open the parachute and glide right above the trees till I see an opening and I drop through. Once I make it to the ground, I tear the gear off me and locate the team. I'm the first one on the ground even though I was the last to jump.

I look around and see Steve sprinting through the trees behind the team and Nat comes down right above us. She also looks like she's had to do this a time or two. I look around and my eyes meet with Loki, as he looks away I hear something,

'I wish I could just tell her how I feel, but I can't cause I've been nothing but an ass to her because I don't want her to find out that I'm in love with her. She believes I'm dangerous...'

I guess the look on my face said something because everyone was looking at me with concern, I look at Tony and say,

"What? Did I miss something?"

"Not yet but it looks like you're in shock... everything alright Harley?"

"Uh, yeah. Just figured out that I am now able to read minds. Looks like I have a new power that I'll be training after this mission."

I laugh when I can hear everyone's thoughts now, but I listen to Loki's in particular.

'Damn, she's probably listening to my thoughts right now. God, think about something else. Hydra mission, think about the mission.'

I chuckle and work on finishing the mission. Steve and I pushed forward and got inside the building while everyone else was outside fighting off all the guards.

Red Skull's minions are nowhere to be found which means he's already fled from this base and moved on to the next one. There's no hostages that me and Steve could find while we were inside so we stayed close to the base and started helping fight off the rest of the guards.

"Tony, no one was inside and it doesn't look like there's any hostages. What do you want us to do?"

"We're finishing up on fighting off the guards outside. When we're done, we'll head back and talk about what happened."

A few more minutes goes by while everyone is fighting off the few guards that are left. When we are done we meet at the same place we started and we all walk back to the jet and head back to the compound.

While we are flying back home, I meet Loki's eyes for a second until he looks away and I can hear him thinking about something. I wanna know what's thinking so I tune in to just his thoughts.

'Gosh, I hate how she has this way on me. She makes me want to become a better person, but how am I supposed to be better when I want to take her away from Steve and make her my own. Shit, I forget she can hear thoughts.'

He looks back up at me like he's afraid of what's about to come next. I break eye contact by looking at my feet and smiling. I can hear him sigh, even from across the jet. I look at Steve and it looks like he's sleeping on the way home. Clint and Tony are flying and I'm standing behind them watching. Soon it becomes dark out and all you can see is the darkness in front of you. When I can't see anything I make my way over to the seats and sit between Loki and Steve, and fall asleep.