( captain america: civil war )
★
CHLOE SAT PERCHED on top of the airport, her sharp eyes scanning the perimeter. Her job, while also to provide assistance to her teammates if necessary, was to make sure innocents didn't get in the way of the fight.
Steve had paired his team up with partners; himself and Scott, Bucky and Sam, Wanda and Clint. He wanted to put the teenager with his two best friends, but she refused. Chloe knew they were reliant on each other, but the Assassin wanted to work alone for this mission.
Chloe didn't want the responsibility of looking after a potential teammate.
She subconsciously fiddled with her hidden blade, the weight of her earpiece somewhat annoying. The teenager felt the technology crackle slightly in her ear, making her wince at the small pain.
Focusing on the battle below her, the young girl witnessed Steve run out into the runway and towards the chopper. However, the young girl glared at the sight of Iron Man shooting the getaway vehicle with an electromagnetic pulse, throwing their plan out the metaphorical window.
Iron Man and the War Machine dropped down in front of Rogers, the former addressing the Captain first, his helmet shrinking back mid-sentence. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?"
"Definitely weird." War Machine commented.
"Hear me out, Tony." Steve started. "That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this."
Chloe watched as the Black Panther jumped out, landing in the midst of the conversation. Her hand instinctively tightened around her bow, her nerves and instincts kicking in.
"Captain." T'Challa greeted.
"Your Highness," Steve responded.
"Anyway," Tony started, "Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in. That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"
Steve didn't miss a beat. "You're after the wrong guy."
"Your judgment is askew." Stark shot back. "Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday―"
"―And there are five more super soldiers just like him," Steve reported. "I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."
"Steve, you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?"
The appearance of the Black Widow startled the Assassin, but something deep inside her figured Natasha wouldn't be on the Captain's side. In some weird way, Chloe understood Nat's need to stay on the good side of the law. Who knows what would've happened to her reputation if she sided with her and Steve.
Steve's attention turned from Natasha to Tony, who looked up at the small forming group. "All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!"
Out of seemingly nowhere, a figure flipped out from the sky and shot a web at Steve's shield, capturing said object, tying Steve up, and landing behind the Tony and Rhodey. "Nice job kid."
"Thanks." the kid spoke. Chloe's eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Young, teenager, around my age. Really? "Well, I could've stuck the landing better, it's just... new suit. It's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's perfect. Thank you."
Despite the circumstances, the Frye found herself smiling at the kid's ramblings. He was cute, in an awkward mid-pubescent way.
"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation."
"Okay," Spider-boy responded. "Cap. Captain. Big fan. I'm Spider-man."
"We'll talk about it later," Tony said. Chloe could almost see the man face-palm internally. She, herself, was barely keeping her chuckles in.
"Hey everyone."
"Good job."
The Assassin heard the amusement in Steve's voice. "You've been busy."
"And you've been a complete idiot." Tony snapped. "Dragging in Clint, "rescuing" Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep... I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."
"You did that when you signed."
There, at that moment, did Chloe realize why this whole showdown was happening. Tony wanted to protect what little freedoms they had left but was willing to compromise. Steve refused to give up his freedoms, even if that meant going to war about it.
And Chloe? A feeling of uncertainty settled in her gut. Both these men were willing to fight for what they believed in, and they believed in freedom. The same thing Chloe fought for every day.
Her grip on her red bow faltered.
"Alright, we're done," Tony stated, his entire demeanor changing. "You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us, or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite. Come on."
"We found it," Sam spoke over intercoms. "Their Quinjet is in hangar five, north runway."
Steve raised his arm, and at that moment, two things happened.
One; Clint shot the webbing off of Steve's hands once he raised them. Two; Scott Lang, who was hiding on Steve's shield, grew to regular size, handing the weapon back to its respective owner.
Once Tony launched himself into the air, and Steve threw his shield, the fight began.
Suddenly, Chloe was thrown into her Assassin mode. Her questioning stance disappeared (it was still there, however), and her gaze hardened. Seeing the web-slinger launch into the air, the teenager acted quickly and shot him down.
She leaped off the building, rolling to a stop right behind the fallen hero. She took in his appearance. He was frazzled, a little confused, and surprised at her attendance.
Which was good. It meant she was good at staying in the shadows.
"Who- who are you?"
"A friend of the Captain's," she spoke, sinking back into the shadows slightly. "Why are you here?"
"To help Mr. Stark. Why are you here?" Peter was nervous, to be completely honest. He figured the girl was older than him and much more experienced. Plus, his Aunt May always told him to never hurt a lady. He stepped back when she stepped forward, making the Assassin cock her head to the side in interest.
Her eyes turned golden, the blue hue revealing his true nature. Ignoring his sounds of slight excitement, she hesitated, taking a step back. She turned her head to the rest of the battlefield, revealing the state of everyone else; blue. Everyone else held a steady, blue tint.
No one there was her enemy.
Taking the slight distraction, Peter took his chance and swung away, slightly confused by the girl's demeanor. He made a mental note to not fight against her. To the fifteen-year-old, she seemed conflicted.
Oh, how right he was.
Realizing she was in broad daylight, the young girl sunk back into the shadows, her heart beating fast despite the lack of activity she had done.
She sucked in a breath and stepped out of the shadows slightly, assessing the battlefield. Tony was held up with Clint and Wanda. The kid, Sam, and Bucky were out of sight, along with Scott and Natasha, and Steve was holding up Rhodey.
And the Black Panther was running right at her.
Panicking slightly, the young girl went into defense, her eyes narrowing at the older man. Despite her inner dialogue, she slung her bow over her torso and shoulders, drawing her sword. Once T'Challa reached her, she dodged his claws and swiped at his torso, the Damascus steel barely making an impact against the tough vibranium.
She turned around at the skidding Panther, who turned around quickly. She noted his lack of approaching her immediately, so the young girl tried words to coax the man down. "Your Highness."
"Assassin," he responded, also going into defense. He chuckled at her surprised expression. "You think I do not recognize the woman who saved my life from Templars."
She ducked her head in thought, her torn feelings becoming louder in her head. She winced at the volume.
"I sense you are troubled," he spoke, rounding around her to the point where she was blocked out from anyone on the ground. "Tell me, child. Why are you here?"
She cleared her throat, even though it still cracked when she spoke. "I owe Cap a favor."
"You have no other real reason to be here. This is not your fight, Chloe Frye," he said, easing back. "Go home. Leave while you can. You should not be here."
Before he could leave, Natasha came flying out of nowhere and tackled the Wakandan King to the ground, and pulled Chloe into the shadows of the building.
The older woman glanced out at the field, witnessing the fire Scott and Steve made start to spread. She turned to Chloe, who was panting slightly at the whole mess.
She shouldn't be here―
―But she couldn't leave Steve behind―
―It wasn't her fight―
―She had to make sure everyone made it out okay―
―It wasn't her fight―
"Chloe, look at me," Natasha said, gripping the girl's arms. "Go home. I can tell you don't want to fight."
"I have to make sure everyone leaves in one piece." Chloe choked out, the events of the past few weeks settling heavy in her mind. "I can't― I can't abandon Steve―"
Natasha shook her head. "I don't care. Leave. If Steve really cared about your safety, he would've noticed how tired you've been the past week. When was the last time you took a break?"
Chloe didn't respond.
"Exactly. This isn't your fight. Hell, you're not even an Avenger. You work for an agency."
Chloe shook her head, taking in a deep breath. A beat passed. "F-fine. Okay."
She pushed Natasha away, a phone in the Black Widow's hand. "You know what to do."
The two women nodded at each other, one running back to the fight, and the other sinking further back into the shadows. An idea passed in her mind. Reaching out mentally, she internally cheered when she felt a presence there. The teenager mentally recited the coordinates for her base. When this is all over, you know where to find me. I'm sorry I couldn't help more.
Feeling the understanding and encouragement wash over her, the Assassin smiled and climbed the building. Once she reached the top, she saw the two teams separate on each side. Miraculously, she caught the eyes of Steve, his eyes understanding, but a little disappointed.
Chloe Frye turned her head and hopped off of the building, disappearing from the civil war entirely.
It wasn't her fight.
★
so, I understand a lot of you wanted more of a fight. you guys wanted Chloe to kick ass and take names.
that's how I originally wrote this. but, it occurred to me while doing so, that if I had written this part slightly different, that Chloe could've been on Tony's side.
so, I decided to make her neutral and remove her from the scene.
She still helped Steve and his team, just more morally instead of physically.
i've been putting my poor baby through enough. she needs to pull an eliza and take a break.
i hope you all understand my decision (cough and notice the character development cough) and enjoyed the chapter.
happy 2018!
updated: 4/21/18
peace,
aidan.