"You think you're the only choice, Subject Two? You're wrong."
That was all I could hear as the ship that we stood on began to explode. One explosion after the other began to go off, it giving us no time to take cover. I remembered seeing Steve and Thor fly back in the opposite direction that I did, as I lost track of Natasha and Tony. I knew that in the end, I was the only one who could save us from the fate that we would each own if nothing was done.
In the short time that I had, I used it on realizing that the explosion created fire. Fire that I could use to protect us somehow. I knew that if I could just grasp it somehow, I could try.
As I was blown back, I stuck out my right arm with the stone attached, using all my strength to real the flames in, which they did.
Pretty soon, the explosion was coming at me, and I wasn't scared of it. I was suddenly overcome with this feeling that everything was going to be alright. I couldn't explain it. It could've been what you're supposed to feel before you die.
As the flames engulfed everything that I had, I took one last look at my drowning team, before I gave the Beast permission to take control of my body.
In midair, I could feel myself changing into the Lion within me, from the bottom up, and for the first time, it was like I could see through the Beast's eyes, and it would listen to me. Respect me, almost.
I knew I needed to protect them from the falling ship above us, so the lion dove down to where the Avengers stood, Tony with a limp Natasha in his arms, and Steve without his shield. It must have fallen into the ocean the vibranium was so heavy.
Before I could land on them, I found myself letting out a huge roar, the remaining fire from the explosion gathering around me, forming into this huge protection barrier around all of the people in the water, protecting them from any debris and any more damage coming their way. I saw Thor and Steve look up at me in awe, the color of the flames reflecting towrds me in their eyes.
Then, the entire ship began to sink, making everyone in the water prone to go with it. Taking notice of this situation, the fire barrier made its way under the water, fighting through its weakness of H2O, and made sure none of the Avengers would sink down along with the ship, and all its top secret files. I guess we'll never truly know what was happening.
As everything above the water got quiet, the fire below was getting to be too much for the stone to handle, and too much for my fifteen year old blood stream. The fire from the lion went out like a candle from a birthday cake. It was a good thing that this suit was one with the fire, and that it appears evrytime I shift back, otherwise I wouldn't just be falling out of the aky, I'd be falling out of the sky naked.
Too weak from the water intake, I couldnt stop myself from falling, and everything was blurry and cold around me.
Tony, quickly taking notice of this handed of Natasha to Steve, flew up into the air and caught my flying almost-corpse before I turned to stone completely. My right index finger had begun to at the tip.
I heard some yells come from Tony, then some screams of terror come from everyone. Suddenly, an abnormally strong gust of wind began to wrap itself around us all, it bringing us out of the water. Before my sight went black, I caught sight of an Eagle the size of a school bus, made out of air and feathers, staring at us, saving us all.
*
By the time I woke up again, we were no longer in the middle of the ocean. Now, now we were in the middle of the woods. Oh what I'd do to be in Central Park with Natasha by the cherry trees.
"What the Hell?" I mumbled with my eyes still closed as I rubbed my head. If felt like I had been dropped off a building.
"Hannah?" I heard a worried voice ask from the right. I turned over only to see none other than Steve Rogers standing there. He look tired, stressed, and in dire need for a few beers. The poor guy is always worrying. Hell, I dont blame him one bit when you're living in this world.
"Where are we. Is everyone alright?" I asked, this time more frantically, as I sat up quickly, only to be held down by his strong arm. He was going to lecture me.
"I dont know whether to kill you or hug you. You could've died today. I've- I've never seen you like...that...before," he said, rubbing his scratched up hands against his eyes. I smiled pitely at him.
"But I'm alive Steve, and so are you. How about everyone else? And I don't know whether the Eagle was just a hallutionation of mine or if everyone was seeing it," I said. As if one cue, an unfamilira voice sounded.
"No, definitely not a hallutionation. Hell, I even have a name and everything," a young boy's voice sounded from behind me. I turned to look at the new guy. He looked about fifteen- sixteen years old, had some muddy clothes on, and to my surprise, had a clear looking Element Stone embedded into his right arm. I'm assuming based on the few seconds I saw him in his animal form, he possessed the wind stone.
"Jack Michael Gray," he said, introducing himself to me. I just stared at the young boy. "And you, Hannah Irene Moon, I've heard much about. And, yeah, I've heard one or two things about you...guys," he said, gesturing to Cap, who he looked at the way he looked at Tony whenever he was...well...being himself.
"How are you-" I began, but was cut off by his answer.
"Yeah, yeah, 'how are in such control of your animal form Jack?' Yes, just like I explained to your friends, we have respect for one another, so we can live peacefully within each other. You see, Hannah, I think you learned this earlier. When you make peace with your demons, they are always under your control. By the way, nice job yesterday. Super cool," he told me, making my head spin. How the Hell was he so calm right now?
"Where are my friends?" I sharply asked, not in the mood for another Tony to talk to.
"The handsome dude with the cape, he's fine, along with Metal man over there. That red-head just needs some stiches and a few Advil, and she'll be as good as new," He quickly explained. I was about to respond before Steve beat me to it.
"How long have you been here? And why were you on the ship?" he asked, his inner military showing. I nodded my head in agreement with his questions.
"I've been here since the day I fell in here as Kevin," he told us, making my eyebrows scrunch.
"Kevin?" I asked, making him laugh at me and himself. Ugh.
"Oh, yeah, after our awkward intoduction, I decided I should give the bird a name. All of them have names, you know. When I entered into the dream state for the first time, he told me some weird name like Vento Aquilla when I talked with him, but I decided Kevin was going to be a lot easier for someone of my level of comprehension. I looked it up. It means 'Wind Eagle' in Italian. What's your lion's name?" he asked, making my head spin even more. This was too much. Dream State? Kevin? Italian???
"What in the name of Mary are you talking about?" I asked him, as his face went blank for a minute at the question, the scrunched up in amusement as what I said registered.
"Oh, you haven't- I see. You haven't reached that stage in your relationship yet. That's okay. I dont judge," he told me, making me scowl.
"Explain what you just said," Steve ordered, as Jack nodded. He breathed out.
"When you enter the Dream State, it's caused by the alliance of two beings in one body, like you and your animal. When you accept it as part of you, you get to speak with it. Willingly. I guess it happened to me fairly quickly," he said, as if he was speaking to himself.
"How did you enter...it?" I asked him as he thought back.
"It was the second or third night here, and to be perfectly honest with you, I was kind of scared. and sad, too I guess. I didn't really know my parents, but I saw you on the news, screaming about them being dead, but not dead. So yeah, I was sad. And when I'm sad, I'm at my lowest. And when I'm at my lowest, I'm willing to do anything to get out of it. So, when I went to bed that night, I thought I was dreaming of me and this big ass Eagle standing in a field together, but it turns out, it was just the Dream State. Kevin explained what had gone down at HYDRA, and told me that I didn't have to be afraid. Ever since then, I visit him regularly in my spare time. Or when, you know, the Avengers are dying or something," he explained, just giving Steve more questions. I knew that it would be too much for him to get the responses.
Just then, Tony, out of armor, walked in, and breathed out in relief when he saw that I wasn't dead. I gave him a small smile of assurance, which of course he returned.
"So, Natasha needs to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. She lost a lot of blood, and it's not safe for a head wound to get infected. And I think all of our patience is running thin with Jack over here," he said, motioning to the teenager who smiled sheepishly.
"I'm glad to know that in the early stages of our relationship, I've had such a big effect on your life," he responded back, them both giving each other sarcastic smiles.
"Can't you put your suit on her and let FRIDAY fly her back. Backup doesn't exactly know where the Hell we are right now," I told him, as he shook his head no. What now.
"Water damage. Suits out. My suit calling device is out. I would ask Thor, but the way he flies would only give her some whiplash and a concussion. So, Jack, can you make yourself useful and show us what you have to offer in this situation," Tony said, as Jack nodded his head.
"It would be my pleasure to brag to Tony Stark," he said, as he walked into another part of his makeshift forest house. For a place made out of rock, leaf, and dirt, the body was quite tidy and organized. Which could be easy when you can whip out a leaf blower from within you anytime you needed one.
Steve helped me up from the spot where I was laying as all three of us followed Jack into his tree house.
He had scraps here and there, and little gadgets he made from, most likely, dumpster diving. Reminded me of a friend I used to have in Queens, Peter Parker, who used to do the same kind of thing. I used to tell him he was insane, yet he was super smart.
He then showed Tony a Satellite phone he had, which he handed to him. Tony began making the necessary calls as Jack walked up to Steve and I.
"So, I guess I'll be leaving me tree dome when your backup gets here?" He asked, as Steve didn't move a muscle.
"For safety precautions," he sharply said, before taking me off to the side, leaving Jack to annoy Tony some more.
"Do you buy it?" he asked me, as he stared off at Jack like he could hear us. To be honest, who even knows.
"Listen Steve, that's not out focus. Our focus is that we have three out of the four stones in our possession. That's just one more to having our leverage on HYDRA. We just need to get through this, then...then we can breathe and talk about it. Trying not to process it until I need to. I'll just wind up overwhelming myself. it's easier that way," I explained, as he nodded off to the side.
"I'm worried about you. All of this happening to you. I want to make sure you're okay," he said, making me sigh.
"I'm doing okay Steve. That guy on that ship, that wasn't my father. That is the byproduct of HYDRA. My parents are dead. I just have to get that through my head completely to make sure I don't freak out. We don't have any time to be unprepared, like we were for that mission," I told him as he nodded in agreement.
"At least we got a taste of what we're up against. If- if you weren't there, you do realize we'd all be dead, right?" he asked me, as I stiffed out a shocked laugh.
"Yeah, well, that can be a lot to live up to Steve. I don't want my actions to be the cost of all of your lives. Which-which is why I need to be the one to face him. Alone. You guys are leverage to him. I can't let that happen," I said, as he put a more serious face on.
"That's a lot to live up to, Hannah," he said, using my own words against me. I sighed.
"I know," I said, rubbing my eyes, "but it's the only way to survive."
*
After Tony finished the calls, we all went to check up on Nat and Thor.
"Still feel like trash?" I asked her as she lied down on a cot made out of think sticks and leaf rope. She groaned.
"Definitely," he responded, as Steve put a hand on her shoulder.
"Shouldn't be long now Natasha. Backup's on their way," he said, attempting to comfort the pain filled assassin.
"Goodie," was all she said, before resting her eyes once more. I then looked over at Thor.
"How are holding up, Thor?" I asked him, as he looked over at me.
"These stones are powerful, Miss. Moon. More than I believe you know. It was almost as if I could feel its power radiating off of you. You have yet to scratch the surface of what it is offering you," he told me, all of our faces looking confused.
"Thor, can you...hear...the stone?" I asked him, as he nodded.
"You earthlings cannot?" he asked in shock, all of us staring at him strangely.
"It must be because he's so developed. Plus, we have no idea where or how these things were made. For all we know, it could've been made on Asguard," Tony said, as we all kept the puzzled looks on our faces. This was a problem to discuss tomorrow,
Then, a helicopter sounded above us, making all our heads snap outside where leaves were blowing up from the wind.
"Looks like our ride is here," Jack said, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents poured into the forest area. Steve helped Natasha up as we all looked outside. There were medical and mission agents here, along with Nick Fury himself.
"Looks like we're going on an adventure, Kevin," Jack whispered to himself. Indeed we were.
What do you guys think of the story so far? I've been updating every night, and I'm hoping to get at least thirty chapter in. Tell me what you think of Eve, Jack, and Hannah as characters so far.
All the Love,
Valentina!
Jack Gray will be being portrayed by Collin Ford