"Why is she in charge?" Someone mutters from the back of the crowd. I raise an eyebrow- but don't flinch, in body or in gaze, and look over the crowd. I have, under my direction, 16 semi-cooperative teenagers and young adults. Of those 16, 11 have powers, and 14 have been personally victimized by Hydra.
And only eight are up to standard in hand-to-hand combat.
"Team leads," I say in a normal voice, trying to prove that I'm in control enough that I don't feel it necessary to speak up. Four people step forward, my four most trusted at this point.
Ray- ticked at Hydra from her childhood, but more recently at New S.H.I.E.L.D., for Mia. She's angry, and she's strong, and she wouldn't abandon me.
Lincoln. Young. He feels indebted to me, because I made him a team lead days after he joined, at only 15. He thinks that what Hydra does is inhumane and horrible- which is correct- even though they haven't met him. He's a true, no intervention mutant. Innocent, in a way, but still willing to fight. Fight with me, more importantly.
Next, a lot of a gamble on my part: Rowan. No powers. However, before she defected, she worked for Hydra as their combat instructor, and as such; is more skilled than even Quinn. She's also older than the rest of us, which means that she might think there's a bit of a power imbalance, letting a 17 year old boss her around. But so far, she hasn't shown any problems.
Quinn. She's interesting. Everyone assumes that she's a gamble, but she's probably among the most certain loyalties I've got in this entire building. Raised by Hydra, did their dirty work her teen years, marked by scars from their training. She's got a solid case of mommy issues that can be traced back quite a while, and we've discussed this. A ride or die. She wouldn't ditch.
Each of them lead a team of three others, balanced in terms of ability- both in combat and in powers. My most consistent team would likely be Lincoln, but in terms of raw power it's Quinn. As cliche as it sounds, they all have their benefits. And I'm going to need every inch of it for what we're about to attempt. This is a make-or-break moment in my conquests, and it's gonna tell New S.H.I.E.L.D. that I mean business.
"If anyone wants to chicken out, now is the time," I announce, crossing my arms. "If anyone on your team has any doubts- if you have any doubts," I address my captains.
"Speak now, or hold your peace until, like, this evening," When no one says anything, merely glances amongst themselves, I nod, turning around.
"Your captains know where to go. Follow them, and we'll meet there within the hour,"
I walk out the door, listening to Ray and Quinn immediately begin ordering their crew around, and I'm immediately grabbed and pulled around a corner. I sigh, remembering what happened the last time someone grabbed me, but this time it's a certain brown-haired boy staring down at me. I half-smile, raising my index finger and smoothing out the ridges between James' eyebrows.
"You're going to get wrinkles, darling," I whisper, trying not to draw any attention to us, given that there's people moving around nearby.
"You should stop being so stressful then," He whispers back, tucking a strand of unnaturally white hair behind my ear. Based on the way that little furrow swiftly returns, I think he knows it's recent. Side effect of never having been trained, I don't know how to use my powers without hurting myself. And frankly, I don't have time to learn.
"What's wrong?" I ask, getting to the point. James shrugs, wrapping me in a hug and inhaling deeply.
"Just wanted to see you before you left," He says nonchalantly, but his voice cracks. I grab his forearms and pry him off me. I give him a look that asks again, what's wrong. He sighs, this time shakily, and glances off. "I'm scared, Ross. You haven't pulled anything like this before,"
"First time for everything," I say dismissively, trying to be calming, when truthfully; I'm just as worried as he is. I haven't done anything like this before. I didn't think I'd ever dare, but here I am. "I'll be back tonight, promise," I tell James, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I'll be back tonight and then you can yell at me about how reckless it was, just like every other mission I go on," I repeat. I'm assuring both of us. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and take a deep breath, trying to save the moment. Tuck it away in a secret little pocket, where it's all mine.
"Did Ross teleport or is she riding with us?" I hear someone call in the hall, and I snap up.
"I have to go," I whisper, searching James' face. He nods, letting me go. As I walk off, I twist around one last time and see him anxiously playing with his hands, and I hear something that sounds suspiciously like 'I love you.'
--
We quite literally hit the ground running. Ray leaves one of the non-powered kids in charge of driving, despite the fact that in many countries, she's still a few months shy of legal. It's fine, after all- Sophie is probably a better driver than I am, anyways.
It was discussed on the way here what we were doing, but I think it's still a little fuzzy. I'm honestly growing more nervous by the moment. A short girl is tripping over her own feet, and I'm pretty sure that one of Lincoln's kids has his shirt inside out.
But we can't chicken out now. The house that they're holed up in is quite literally right in front of us. Top floor is a normal house, but there's three floors underground where the more interesting stuff is.
I raise a hand and gesture for everyone to move in. Quinn grins back at me as she steps forward, dramatically ringing the doorbell. Everyone out here crouches down, bracing, and in the next ten seconds it's like we're all hit with the adrenaline at the same moment. A couple bullets are fired at Quinn, which she uses her powers to block, and I see her disappear inside. It's like we all freeze, and then another gunshot rings out from a back window, and one of my people screams at the same moment the glass shatters.
I grit my teeth and throw a field up around the building. It locks Quinn inside, but it keeps us safe out here. After a few more seconds, she sticks her head out the door and beckons for us to go in. I drop the field again, and we all file in. Any hopes I had about the element of surprise are officially gone as half of the others break windows to get in faster. I groan and follow them in, and thankfully there isn't too much of a firefight inside. Ray has an agent in a headlock, but he's unconscious already.
I nod to an oddly placed rug in the center of the room, and Quinn levitates it away. The newer ones glance at me with a slight ounce of fear at the fact I guessed there was a door underneath it, but when I swing it open and several gunshots ring out, any respect evaporates. I grimace, diving into the small space, and maneuvering as unexpectedly as I could. I snatch a gun out of someone's hands, porting behind them before I'd actually make impact.
Raising my stolen gun, I fire four times, leaving four bodies in the entrance. I shout back up to the others and tell them to follow me, already moving further into the base.
My job is to get as far in as I can, and the others will follow- cleaning up whoever I didn't deal with. I teleport past people, disarming and maiming as quickly as possible, until I'm in the lowest floor.
It's cold here, and quiet. No guards. Lots of computers. Equipment racks. I move deliberately, my feet silent on the floor. I hear something shift and I freeze, holding my breath. Listening carefully, I hear someone snatch a fleeting breath. They know I'm here, and they're hiding.
I found someone important.
My eyes sweep the room as I keep moving, acting like I didn't notice anything. I hear the breathing again, coming from under a desk. The space under it is hidden by a chair, but I'm nearly certain that I see someone in it. I port on top of the desk and pull the chair out, which was a good idea; because two bullets find themselves in the wall behind where I would have stood. I jump down and pull out a scrawny scientist clinging to a pistol like her life depends on it.
Ironic, because it does. She tries to shoot me again, but I visibly raise a force field in front of her. She freezes, holding her hands up and letting the pistol clatter to the floor.
I smirk, letting go of her jacket and silently pointing to the chair. She takes the hint, scrambling into it without hesitation. I press my ear to the door I came through, and roll my eyes. I can hear some of the others arguing about who goes in first. They would not have survived if there were something dangerous in here.
I lean against the doorframe and dramatically open it. Nearly the entire crew is right here, save whoever was shot outside and Quinn. From up the stairs I can hear the meaty sound of someone being decked out, so that answers for her.
"We have someone important. Probably a scientist," I offer in Romanian, gesturing to the room behind me.
I walk back in, watching her tremble. She grips the edges of the chair tightly, and I wonder if New S.H.I.E.L.D. holds the same hostage policies as its predecessor.
"Everyone upstairs is unconscious or dead," Lincoln offers. His voice is tired, but not just physically.
"No survivors," I order, turning around. "This is our statement piece."
"Of course..." I start in English, turning back to the scientist. "She could be valuable,"
"Ross," Quinn whispers, coming up behind me. "That wasn't part of the plan,"
"Plans change," I return. "She wouldn't be hiding down here if she wasn't valuable. I want to know what about her is so... special," I trail a finger down the scientist's cheek, and she winces, but doesn't move.
She knows something. I intend to find out what.