Cosmic

The Visit

"Trust me." i closed my eyes and planted the message in their brains. Come outside. Ground floor. There's trouble. I sensed hesitation. Now.I yelled. They were on the move. "They're coming." i said breathing out. They both nodded. We waited. I tapped my foot. I hadn't realized how slow elevators were before.

"Stop tapping your foot." Natasha said a bit annoyed.

"We're going too slow." i spit out. I slammed my hand against the wall. They must have known what i was going to do because they each clutched the railing. We shot up. Stepping out of the elevator i smelled smoke. "I might have destroyed it." i said looking at the elevator.

"No time." Clint said as they walked past me. I ran after them toward the door. the lady at the desk seemed confused. I heard a ding as the other elevator opened.

"Astella!" Steve called.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked. I wasn't listening. I opened the glass doors and looked up toward the night sky.

"They're here." i said.

I was going over some more tests of the container when i heard it. Another voice inside my head. It sounded like Astella. Come outside. Ground Floor. There's trouble. Why was i hearing this? Why Astella's voice? MY brain started to work through it. She had the power of persuasion but was she that far advanced that she could plant things in your brain. Make you do things you didn't want to. I put my tools down confused. Now. She shouted. I bolted. I made it to the elevator at the same time Steve did. "Hi." i said.

"Hey." he replied breathing heavily. He must have run pretty far. I pressed the button on the elevator. We moved up at a snails pace. Steve looked at the ground and shifted anxiously. I'm guessing we got the same message. Suddenly we bolted up. Steve and I clutched the railing for dear life both of us visibly confused. Wait.. Astella could manipulate electricity. Maybe she was frustrated by the slowness of the elevator. We staggered a bit but regained our balance. We came to a halt and there was a ding. Steve and I stepped out. We were at the reception area. I could see Astella, agent Romanoff and Agent Barton ahead of us. they were quickly walking to the front doors. "Astella!" Steve called out.

"What's going on?" I asked trying to sound calm. She didn't look back. Natasha shot us a glance. Her eyes were hard. Something was up. Astella pushed through the door's and we rushed up to them before they closed.

"They're here." Astella breathed out. She was looking up at the night sky as if something was supposed to appear. Unfortunately something did. A ship. Circles of light poured down form the ships and pierced the darkness, they were almost lost by the light of the city itself. They shined down on the already brightly lit city. They looked like spotlights. What were they searching for? The bottom of the ship opened up and ten small shapes floated out. From far away they looked like giant desert lizards. They probably were.

"What are they?" Natasha asked. Her question seemed to be directed at Astella. She didn't answer. She was staring at them in amazement, eye's wide scared, and confused. They gestured in our general area and then they were whizzing toward us. I was right. Giant desert lizards. There scales were different shades of brown. With long claws on each finger and toe. A long tail with spikes on it. Oh great. They had cold black eyes. They stared down at us like we were prey. Some of them even appeared to be growling. They had rows of sharp teeth. Fight. The other guy roared in my mind. I looked at what they were floating on. Some sort of hover-board. Their tails hung off of it. They seemed to operate it with a projected hologram that came off the floor of it. I couldn't see it clearly but i assumed their were multiple buttons for a variety of purposes. I wanted to get a closer look. The scientist in me had the urge to toss one of the off the hover-board and study it. The monster in me wanted to throw off the lizard and pummel him to the ground.

They spoke. Well sort of. The one in front made a series of clicking and hissing noises. We all glanced at each other a bit confused. Astella pushed forward through Natasha and Clint who had flanked her. Steve looked like he wanted to reach out and pull her back. She answered him. A different series of hisses and clicks. We looked at each other surprised. Even the lizard creatures seemed impressed. We did not know she could do that. I wondered if she could speak different languages when she encountered them or if she could speak this language because.. "Astella." Steve said clearing his throat. She blinked a couple times and looked back at us. She looked like she had just remembered we were all with her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You just spoke a different language." Natasha said.

"I did?" she asked cocking her head. The lizards spoke again. Astella said something loud and commanding. It silenced them. "I did." Astella said again in amazement. The lizards started to speak amongst each other. Astella looked angry. rapid fire she spat back at them. their reply made her gasp.

"What is it?" Clint asked. Him and Natasha looked ready for a battle. He had his bow out and already had an arrow notched. Natasha had both hands on her guns at her waist. Steve and i had nothing. He didn't have his suit on and well my "suit" wasn't something i wanted to get into right now.

"Astella." Steve said again.

"They.. They asked who i was. I told them i was Astella." she was staring at them. They were sneering down at her a cold look in their eyes. "They know who you guys are. They made some crack about puny little heroes." She was balling her fists. Was this going to turn into a fight.

"Well what do they want?" Natasha asked.

"Me." she replied simply. Everything happened at once. Natasha pulled out her guns and shot two of them in the head. They dropped and their hover-boards spun out of control. Clint had shot one of them in the head. It made some horrible scream and he was spinning in the air out of control. He was reaching for another arrow. Astella punched one of them in the face. I'm guessing it hurt though because she gasped and shook out her fist. It grabbed at her arm but Steve was there tackling him to the ground. I stood their shocked. I didn't know what to do. I was not going to bring the monster out. There wasn't that many of them. I was hopping they could handle them.

"Dr. Banner!" Natasha shouted. One of them was stalking toward me. I glanced at her and she threw a wicked looking knife my way as she clung to the back of another lizard breaking his neck. I caught the handle and stabbed him in the neck as he lunged toward me. Purple-ish blood sprayed out hitting my shirt. I hopped it wouldn't stain. Fight! The other guy roared. I gritted my teeth and chocked down my anger.

Five of them were on the ground now. Steve was wrestling with another. Astella was throwing one up and down smashing him against the concrete over and over. I'm pretty sure he was dead by now. Clint was caught in a choke hold but he threw the lizard over grabbed an arrow and aimed it at it's head. Natasha kicked another in the chest sending him flying backward she pulled out her gun. Nine. Weren't there ten? I looked up. Sure enough there was one puttered away on it's little hover-board. He was flying back toward the ship. "Guys!" i shouted. they all looked my way. I pointed up at the lizard trying to focus on it's small form. Astella reached up as if she could grab it and bring it back down. The hover-board teetered but landed on the ship. In moments the ship turned around and shot away at lighting fast speed. We all came together in the street. Their was a mess of bodies around us. I was still holding the knife dripping blood.

"Oh god." Astella whispered. We were all breathing hard from the adrenaline rush. The doors behind us burst open. Coulson and Director Fury were there. Other agents started cleaning up the blood and grabbing at the bodies. There were other people out but no one too close by. unless you were paying really close attention nobody would have even noticed the ship or what came out of it. Then they were pulling us inside off of the street. Astella kept her eyes up long after the sky had disappeared from view. Not again. I thought to myself.