Being weak doesn't make you worthless. Being strong doesn't make you invincible. But having those two sides makes you, you ~ Danielle Baker
The new suit is much better than the old one, it's safe to say. It feels as if there is hardly anything on my body, which sounds weird, but is a good thing in a way. Slitting Mary's throat will be easier without the weight of my wings. The only thing that made me jump out of my skin is the voice that appeared as soon as the suit was fitted completely.
"Good evening, Raven," the voice had said.
When I screamed, both Tony and Peter especially, burst out into a fit of laughter. "Ha ha ha, hilarious," I mock them, rolling my eyes.
"I'm sorry," Tony apologizes half-heartedly, wiping a tear from his eye. "Your reaction was priceless."
Peter can't help but smile, his dimples forming, before sliding his mask on, "you can name her, if you like."
I tilt her, "name her?"
"Yeah," he shrugs slightly, "I named mine Karen."
Hm. "I'll be thinking of names for a while now," I tell him with a sly smile.
"Where would you like me to take you?" the voice asks.
"Well, where's the nearest, abandoned junkyard? Because I'm pretty sure that's the one we're going to," a frown falls upon my face. Perhaps I should have memorized the route when I was chasing Mary. If only I wasn't so busy chasing her.
"Preparing route..."
Tony takes off, hovering above the roof, waiting for me to give directions. Peter meanders towards me slowly. "Hey," he whispers.
I raise an eyebrow and let out a small laugh, "hi?"
He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and I can practically see his wince through his mask, "are you sure you're up for this? I mean, you're kind of a conflict-of-interest and you nearly died, like literally, almost died. The bandages on your body prove that. Maybe it's--"
"--Peter," I place a hand on his shoulder. It's more broad than I could have ever guessed. "He's my brother. I would die for him. You would sacrifice your life for May or Michelle and that's how I feel. You shouldn't even be here. I shouldn't be asking you to die for--"
"--Raven," he imitates me by placing his hand lightly on my shoulder. His grip feels protective. "He's your brother. And it's not just Michelle or May I would die for. I would die for anyone I care about, that includes you. And I'm not letting you do this without me. I told you I'd be there for you and so here I am."
The joy on my face is inevitable.
"Are you kids coming or not?"
The three of us stand atop the rooftop I was dropped from all of those weeks ago. A sharp gust of wind blows past, freezing my entire body. Yet, I am sure that this isn't the reason for the chill that sends tremors down my entire spine.
"This is it," I nod towards the junkyard in front of us.
To anyone who walks by, this is just a junkyard filled with useless tires and bits of scraps, but to the three of us who all know the secrets behind the metallic fence, this is more. This could be it.
"So we're just going to barge in there?" Peter asks.
Tony sighs, "if you want a death wish, sure. We just have to find a spot to sneak into the warehouse. Then we barge in."
"So we are just going to barge in there," I retort.
"But we aren't just going to barge in there."
Peter and I exchange amused looks before making our way to the roof of the building, Tony and I via flying and him via swinging. The three of us landing in sync is almost perfect, resembling the scenes in movies that seem unrealistic.
"Hey, suit lady, where is the most... inconspicuous entrance to this warehouse?" I ask aloud.
"Searching routes... this will only take a few seconds," she responds. Which pronoun should I be using for a robot? "Entrance located. To your right, you can see a ladder. That is the entrance that you are least likely to be caught. I will direct you from there for any suspicious persons in there."
This is very convenient.
"Over there," I gesture towards the ladder with a nod of my head.
Tony is already in the air, revving to go, "let's go drink some bloody marys!"
"That is probably the most craziest thing anyone has ever said to me," Peter marvels, clearly astounded by the fact that Tony Stark is talking about sharing an alcoholic beverage with him, even if it is only metaphorically.
"You're underage kid, sorry," Tony apologizes while pausing mid-air. "But I do believe that Raven would be able to share one with me."
A smirk grows on my face rapidly. After so many years of hatred, we're able to crack a joke with one another and even tease Peter together a little. He looks between the both of us as if watching a tennis game, his jaw wide open in shock. Tony flies towards the ladder and I hoist myself off of the ground to follow him, leaving Peter to run.
"Hey, come on, guys. Let's talk about this! We're a team, no man should be left behind!" he calls out after us.
We land slowly as he continues to huff and puff his way towards us. "You're not a man yet, Pete," I give him a wink before cascading down the ladder first.
He sighs behind me and follows down after me instantly, no comebacks present.
"Suit lady, are you aware of what Mary Pinell looks like?" I ask aloud quietly, leading the two further into the building.
"I can obtain a visual if you like," she answers.
"One on Cameron Garcia too, please."
The suit displays an x-ray through the walls, showing the guards and the rooms everywhere. "100% match for both Mary Pinell and Cameron Garcia. Would you like me to direct you to them?"
"Yes, please."
"I feel like I'm not doing anything," Peter declares from behind me.
"You can be moral support, kid," Tony retorts.
He moans, sounding as if he is about to throw a tantrum, "I want to do something."
"Just..." I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "You can look out for any guards or something."
"Okay!" his mood seems to light up instantly.
He mutters something to his suit as my eyes shut slowly. Any anger I'd ever felt at anyone all seems to be directed at Phil now. It's his fault that we're even in this predicament.
"I'm going to kill him," I whisper to myself.
"Who? Peter?" Tony's voice appears next to me.
The corners of my mouth tilt upwards. "No, never. Peter is an untouchable," I tell him. "I was talking about Phil."
"You shouldn't kill him. No matter how much bad he's done. Don't kill him. Trust me, the regret you'll feel after will be tremendous."
His hand seems to be in front of me when my eyes snap open, his fingers open. My instant thought is that there may be a weapon of some sort. It seems I was right. I give him a look before snatching the device out of his hand.
"You can taser him instead."
That's the uncle I've wanted to have.
"Guys, not to interrupt your family bonding session, but there's two guys coming right as you turn left into that hallway," Peter interrupts.
My heart is sent to beat at a hundred miles per hour. Tony seems to notice the anxiety from my face because he puts an iron hand on my shoulder and softly says, "I can handle this one."
His body disappears around the corner as he steps out in the dead sight of the people approaching him. Their voices can be heard rising with panic even from where I'm standing. But after a powering up sound and a large bang! their voices were no longer heard.
The sight of his head sticking out from behind the wall terrifies me more than the bang itself. "We have to get going!" he ushers.
Peter immediately obeys, running after him, but for reasons that I cannot determine, my feet are planted dead in place. My teeth are desperate to chew on something and my gums are the poor victim. My hands clench and unclench in fists, my head bowed, staring at a spot on the marble floor.
A warm pair of hands are placed on my shoulders, relieving me from the chills of reality. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," Peter's voice is almost angelic. He is a miracle worker.
"I want to. I just... I can't help but feel scared. I'm so, so scared. What if I fail? What if someone hurts or even worse..." my voice drifts away before I can finish my sentence. The 'd-word' seems to have scarred me for life.
His strong arms pull me against his chest and he presses his lips next to my ears, uttering words that are intended for me and me only, "to tell you the truth, I'm scared too. I bet you can hear my heart beating." This is true. The pounding of his competes with the pounding of mine to see which can be louder. "But to calm myself down, I remember that I have you and Mister Stark. You would never let anything happen to me, right? Well the same goes for you. Never, ever would I let anything even remotely bad happen to you, okay? I'm here. Remember that. We're in this together."
If Peter wasn't a damn superhero, he would make a mighty good therapist when he's older. Note to self: inform him of a potential future career when we're not about to take on a monster.
I nod against his chest and pull away, much to my dismay. If this was supposed to be a perfect moment, his mask would be off, so I could see his face. His content and pure face would bring me much relief. But the mask covers it. But that's okay. Because the feeling of his fingers through his suit and my suit is enough for me.
"We should help Tony," I whisper and he nods.
We're in this together.
We round the corner, together, before being confronted by an impatient Tony.
"Finally. Can we get this show on the road, lovebirds?"
The lead-up to the room with Mary is relatively easy. Any person we walk past barely puts up a fight, too fearful of the two superheroes and the one random who are wearing super-suits. A quick taser to their arm and they're out like a light.
"This is almost too easy," Peter murmurs.
"Cameron Garcia detected in the room on your right," my suit announces.
My heart leaps out of my chest and the next thing I know, I'm bounding down the hall and into the room, desperate to save my little brother
"Wait, Raven! It could be a trap!" I don't even know who's voice it is behind me. Either way, it doesn't affect my actions, my regretful actions.
The room is large, large enough for a massive brawl, and it's empty. Large and empty... except for the small figure standing directly in the center of the room.
"Cam," my voice is merely a breath. He doesn't say anything, simply standing with his arms crossed behind his back. Something smells fishy, but it doesn't stop me from running towards him and embracing him in my arms. "You're okay, you're okay. They didn't hurt you did they?" I ask worriedly.
"Run," is all he says.
I pull away from him, my eyebrows knitted together. "What?"
"I told you to run! Don't come back for me!" he cries out suddenly.
What have I gotten myself into?
A sudden thud! behind me interrupts a special moment between two siblings. My fist clenches the taser in one hand and my other pulls out the dagger, willing to stab anyone who gets in my way.
"What an adorable family reunion!" the voice sends a shiver down my spine.
I turn around and lo and behold, my two favorite people on earth! "Mary. Phil." From behind them, Peter and Tony are creeping up on them, prepared to pounce at any point.
"Moth," she scowls. "You're supposed to be dead. You just keep on coming back, just like the little pest that you are."
My eyes make direct contact with my support behind them as I say the next few words, "let's get this over and done with."
I reach into Mary's head and only Mary's, to plant the image of the whole Avengers team assembled directly behind her. The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Thor, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Rhodey, Black Panther, the whole lot, including my team. "Meet my crew," I tilt my head.
She hisses, looking around aimlessly at the projections.
Peter throws a web at Phil's gun and snatches it from his grasp. He then proceeds to knock him out with a blow. Cam runs for cover into the corner of the room, which is just what I had wanted.
Tony has Mary occupied, shooting at her. Problem is her darn teleportation powers. She is able to dodge every single blast sent her way by darting around the entire room. "Aim for her neck!" I shout at the two of them.
My focus is maintained on Mary's fight, twisting the image in her head to fight against her. She must be so overwhelmed, but it doesn't seem to affect her on the outside at all. Peter joins in this fight, ensuring that the arms she is throwing at him miss. But one does hit... it hits Tony directly in one section of his suit where the wires are held primarily.
The arm yanks it out without hesitation, causing his suit to go into a state of malfunction of some sort. Looks like it's just Peter and I. My fingers intertwine, cracking my tired knuckles.
In an instant, a sharp pain hits my head, knocking me to the floor. It's almost like deja vu. This time, I turn around quickly to face Phil on top of me. "You're a dick," I roar with anger. He flinches, only slightly, but a flinch nonetheless.
He holds me down by pressing his hands onto my shoulders. But I have the leg advantage. My knee makes contact where the sun doesn't shine, causing him to writhe in pain. This bastard is mine. Now, I have the higher ground. His face is contorted. A malicious grin appears on my face. This is my time, bitch.
At exactly the wrong timing, a yelp comes from the other sprawl. A desperate cry for help. Peter.
We're in this together.
My head looks upwards towards them to inspect the fight over there, but before I can even process the scene unfolding in front of me, a large burning feeling rises up my arm. When I look back down, it seems that Phil has somehow managed to obtain my dagger in his hand and had the balls to cut me with it.
Big mistake, asshole.
"You all make it too easy," she cackles. "I was expecting all three of you to put up a better fight than you just did. That was pathetic!"
That doesn't sound good.
We're all weak, we're all desperate. My entire body is sprawled out on the ground and a searing pain burns my arm. My eyes are forced upwards to examine the other fight. I didn't expect to catch Mary dangling both Peter and Tony from their necks in the air. My head lifts a little to see Phil standing over me, a gun in his hands, pointed at me.
"I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head in disbelief.
Peter yelps, clawing at the arms around his neck. Tony is also about to give up, it is clear, but isn't showing it as much as Pete is. My heart sinks to my feet.
The sight of blood pouring out from my arm only motivates me to make this pain stop.
"Wait, stop!" I call out, desperate to end this once and for all.
Neither Mary or Phil budge. If anything, my comment only motivates Mary further. The arms wrap around Peter and Tony even tighter, the veins on each individual one pulsing.
"Just for a minute," I beg her. "Trust me, you're going to want to hear this."
Her head snaps towards me, a fire burns in her red eyes. Instead of calming her down, my words once again, aggravate her further. A roar escapes her lips and she only sends more arms my way for whatever stupid reason. My eyes dart toward Peter and Tony who struggle against her power.
I have to move.
And fast.
"I know your husband," I blurt out.