*Unfortunately, this story is drawing to a close... The next few chapters will be the last ones. :O Thank you all so much for reading and supporting this book. It means the world to me! I never dreamed that I would ever get this far, seeing as though I never finish anything. I hope you enjoy these final chapters. Thank you. You are all amazing. (Please don't be afraid to point out spelling stuff. I just wanted to get this chapter out*
Calypso’s P.O.V.
I’d only known this team for a little more than a week, but I feel like it’s been years. I haven’t trusted anyone in so long, yet somehow these people have been able to weasel their way into my heart.
Maybe it’s because I was so deprived of human contact, or the fact that I was desperate for a family since I’d lost mine. Maybe it was simply the best error in judgement I’ve ever made.
I drug in a breath, eyes straying to the clock once more. Eleven fifty-eight.
My heart thrummed, blood rushing in my ears as the seconds flew by, shoving me closer and closer to my ultimate fate. I took another look around the room, memorizing the steel walls and worn wardrobe in the corner. I absently tugged on the black shirt I wore and the raggedy cargo pants. I tugged the beanie down over my ears and over the back of my ponytail, the rest of my hair spilling in waves down my back.
I had to do this. It would hurt them, I knew that much. But it needed to be done.
For them, for me, for him.
Clint Barton’s a.k.a Hawkeye’s P.O.V
“We’ve got your back,” I assured her, taking up a defensive stance in front of Calypso. She only nodded, wringing her hands in her lap as she stared ahead with a slight scowl. We currently resided in a windowless room that was a bit larger than a standard sleeping quarters.
“We need you out here, Clint,” Natasha said through the earpiece, and I knew it was time. The clock had struck twelve not ten minutes ago and we were waiting for the ball to drop, for something to happen.
“Don’t leave the room. I’m going to trade off with Thor,” I said, and she looked up at me, eyes brimming with tears.
“Thank you,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked so fragile as she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears back. I couldn’t think of an appropriate response, so I decided to take my leave instead.
“Tell Nat that I’m sorry,” she called after me, before I was on my own. I didn’t dare risk staying and asking for what, for fear of the impending attack.
“Thor’s on his way,” Natasha stated, her voice dissolving into a brief fit of static. I heard a set of footsteps up ahead, just around another corner. I lowered my bow when I caught a glimpse of blonde hair but raised it just as fast when my mind comprehended that it wasn’t Thor standing at the end of the hallway.
A woman stared me down, a pistol clutched tightly in one hand, a vial of some sort in the other. She had a bitter set to her mouth, her eyes glinting with disgust as she eyed me. She was thin, with gaunt cheekbones and lanky arms.
Her thin lips, painted a ruby red, twisted up into a sneer as she raised the gun, no doubt aiming for my head. On instinct, I released an arrow, her eyes going wide as it sailed towards her. She swiftly dodged it, rolling to the side, her black ensemble like a stain against the white tile. I couldn’t help but notice how...unbalanced she seemed.
“It’s started!” I roared into the earpiece, hissing as a bullet grazed my arm. I shot another arrow, hitting her in the upper thigh. It almost looked like she stuck her leg in the path of the weapon... The woman screeched, gun clattering to the floor as the arrow head tore through the delicate muscle. She continued to grip the vial, her glare venomous enough to kill.
“Melody? Melody this is unauthorized! Bring back the solution!” a crackling voice shouted, and I realized it was coming from her own earpiece.
“I–” she began, but I let loose the killing blow, an arrow notching itself within her heart. She sputtered, eyes rolling back, the small glass bottle rolling from her fingers. She gulped in mouthfuls of air, and I knew I must have hit a lung instead.
I got up to finish the job when an earth shattering boom erupted through the compound, my earpiece going haywire as chaos broke out. My eyes widened in horror as I heard Natasha shrieking, nearly drowned out by dozens of gunshots that could be coming from either side.
A laugh broke me out of my horror.
The woman still lying on the floor, a trail of blood spilling from the side of her mouth, staining her pearly whites red. It had been almost too easy to kill her... I thought these people were trained.
“I was...wa- was suppose-osed to give y-you a mess-essage,” she gasped out, her icy smile burning itself a permanent spot in my memory.
I glanced once more at the door Calypso sat behind, grateful that she hadn’t come out to investigate.
“What?” I snapped, keeping my distance.
“You y-you’re all g-going to di-die,” she cackled, hand limply smacking the ground below her. A craziness stirred in her green eyes, intermingling with the rage there. “J-just like them.”
I kneeled beside her, a good five feet away. “We’re not,” I said, more determined than I’d ever been.
“I-I’m a little dec-decoy,” she gurgled, pointing towards her chest, “and I can- can’t escape either!” She was an absolute lunatic.
“Thor!” I shouted into the earpiece, relieved when he said he was no more than two corridors away. I looked down when the woman's nails grazed my sneaker as she tried to get my attention. The puddle beneath her had grown larger, and I had no doubt that she’d be dead within the next minute.
“D-don’t let her-r dri-drink th-is,” the woman breathed, gesturing toward the vile. A wave of confusion swept over me as I noticed the regret and brief saneness entering her expression. “It- it’ll take her bend-bending aw-way. Pl-please. I- I doom-med them. Me. Don’t let me d-do it ag-again.”
And with those words, her chest stilled, head drooping and body going limp.
“You killed her,” a voice stated from behind me, and I whirled to face a shocked Calypso as she stared at the body by my feet. “You killed Melody.”
I hurriedly tried to block the woman from her prying eyes, accidentally crushing the vial beneath my boot. Well, whatever it was it was useless now.
“My lady! What are you doing out of the safe room!?” Thor boomed, stumbling upon the gory seen.
She waved him away, walking and crouching beside the blonde woman. She stared at her for a few moments, then at the vial, then the gun, then her glassy eyes. Then she stood, and came to stand beside me, something changing within her.
“I need to help. You’re my family now. I can’t sit on the sidelines,” she exclaimed, more resolute than I’d ever seen her.
“But–”
“No, I’m fighting and that’s final. Let’s move,” she barked, already taking off down the corridor. I was frozen for a moment before following, Thor clambering after us. Another explosion shook the ground and I stumbled, but Calypso pushed on, her stride never breaking. She was at the main entrance in no time, pushing the doors open in a dramatic flurry as she threw herself outside.
The war had officially begun.
Tony Stark’s a.k.a Iron Man’s P.O.V.
Calypso wasn’t kidding when she said they could fight.
I grunted as I threw another one of the men from my back back, blasting a line of nearby convoy trucks, hooting as they burst into flame. So far all of our plans had gone right down the toilet, leaving us all to improvise.
From what I could see, these people had no special powers except for sheer numbers and training. But if that didn’t account for something I didn’t know what did. Their weapons were more high tech as well, able to take down Hulk with one shot. The big guy was taking a beating but he was holding up, destroying half the regiment in the time since the fight had began.
But we’d lost a fair amount of agents as well. Bodies were strewn everywhere, lining the pavement and the steps of buildings. I’d never get the sight out of my mind.
These men were like a freaking swarm, storming into the compound like a wave of pesky, blood thirsty ants.
“You alright down there Spidey?” I asked, firing at another jet that zipped overheard.
“Just great,” Natasha bit back, the sound followed by the crunching of bone and a muffled curse. I quickly spotted her among the carnage, her red hair glowing under a street lamp near the outer buildings. Captain was nearby, the star almost completely rubbed off of his shield. Dawn was still hours away, and with their black attire, many of these enemies were hard to spot, therefore way more dangerous.
“You there Legolas?” I inquired, startled by the assassins immediate reply.
“She’s outside, Tony! No, Calypso! Damnit, WATCH OUT!” he screamed, before the line went dead.
I spun in my spot, eyes raking the ground looking for the girl we were all so desperately trying to protect. I couldn’t spot her anywhere, fear beginning to race through my limbs at an unprecedented rate.
I blanched as something huge whizzed by my head, the gust of wind following it nearly sending me sprawling across the ground. I looked up just in time to see the giant clod of dirt ram into a mass of the enemy, the impact sending them flying everywhere.
More rocks whizzed by, the tiny pebbles acting like bullets as they took out one person after another. That’s when I finally spotted her.
The hat she wore had just slipped off, as she directed rock after rock from the desert. She stood by the back fence, near the massive building where the HeliCarrier was stored. I launched myself into the sky and over to her, my metal boots clanking against the asphalt.
“They are stronger on the ground than in the air, Tony. I need that HeliCarrier up and running yesterday,” she ordered, not sparing me a glance as she took out a group of men that had been closing in around Natasha. The Widow was badly wounded, trying to hide a slight limp as she continued to fight.
“Are you sure?” I asked, the memories of the last time the team was on the carrier making me shudder.
“Yes. Trust me,” she said, voice filled with sincerity.
“I do,” I replied.
Director Fury’s P.O.V.
“Get this thing in the air, people! Now!” I commanded, picking off some enemies who were attempting to scale the side of the craft. The HeliCarrier came to life with a whir, the fans grating as they picked up speed.
“All available agents and all Avengers: report to the Carrier immediately!” I shouted, barking out what needed to be done and who needed to do what. Our numbers were steadily dwindling, but so were theirs.
I saw that Steve was lagging behind, caught up in a sudden jumble of gunfire.
“Come on, Mr. America! Today please!” I shouted, but he was stuck. That is, until Calypso was suddenly there, blasting everyone back a good hundred feet. She dragged him up onto the carrier, running back to help Clint get Natasha on board.
The men in suits had already caught whiff of our escape plan and all of them were darting towards the Carrier like vultures to a carcass.
“Thor, now would be a good time to do your thing!” Natasha ground out, hissing as she leant upon her right foot. Without a word Thor raised Mjölnir, sending it slamming back down into the ground with a horrendous crack. The streets caved, men tumbling into the crevice left and right.
He hopped back onto the craft just in time, helping usher everyone inside as we gained altitude. Gunfire still rang out inside the air born base, some of the little buggers not giving up the fight. We’d left them utterly decimated, but they were just as determined as we were.
Steve Roger’s a.k.a Captina America’s P.O.V.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” I shot out, trying to find any obvious injury on her.
“I’m fine,” she said, and I could tell she was itching to go back out and join the fight. I had pulled her into a nearby office, just to make sure she was okay to carry on. Besides a scratch across her cheek she appeared to be fine.
Banner was the only one to not get on the craft and his injuries matched Natasha's in their intensity.
“Alright...” I trailed off, going to unlock the door.
“Wait!” she cried, latching onto my arm. I turned, only to freeze as her lips connected with mine. She threw her arms around my neck, pulling herself closer as the sounds of the battle grew louder. I held her to me, relishing the feel of her mouth on mine. I suddenly understood all those horribly corny scenes in the movies where the whole world would fade away during a kiss. I realized that the scenes weren’t actually corny, but one hundred percent true.
She slowly drew back, breathing heavily, staring up at me with...dare I say it...
She didn’t say the word I was thinking of, but drew me into a long hug, burying her face into my chest. And somehow that said more than any word ever could.