"Hong Kong?"
"Helen Cho is one of the only people that can provide Ultron with the body that he needs in order to evolve''
After Christine's breakdown, Steve and Christine ended up talking on the porch for hours. He would exchange stories about his friend, Bucky, and hers were about Amilla. Some of them were sad while others were amusing. An amusing story about Steve and Bucky left them in tears from laughing too hard. Eventually They departed and went to try and get some sleep.
Christine ended up waking up before anyone else. Orange light from the sunset flooded the room, bathing the beige walls in it's glow. She cursed herself for not closing the curtains before she fell into bed that morning. Throwing a glare at the light coming in, she threw the covers off of her. She shambled into the bathroom and made sure to make herself presentable before making her way downstairs and onto the porch once again.
That's where Clint found her. He sauntered up to her with a box in his hands in his hands, which he graciously reached out to give her. She raised a curious eyebrow at him, nonetheless opening the box in front of him.
She was surprised by what she found inside.
"Fury told me to give it to you before we head out." Her hand ran over the leather suit.
"Why didn't he just deliver it himself?"
"He left earlier this morning. Something about having some business to deal with. He took Maria with him."
"Oh." Disappointment present in her tone.
"She said that she would be back soon though." He reassured her.
"Can you be ready in 20?"
The corner of her mouth tilted up. "I can be ready in 10."
After tucking the box underneath her arm she gave Clint a nod. Using her abilities, she teleported back to the room she was staying in. Inside the room, she dropped her small smile and grimaced at the weight of the box. It felt heavy with memories.
She placed it on the bed, gently as if it might break if she handled it too much. Her hands lifted the top off of the box and onto the bed beside it. Once again, she tested the material with her hands. It still felt the same as when she first had worn it.
Stripping out of her clothes, she made haste in changing into her old uniform. She caught a glance of herself in the mirror and was shocked to see her reflection. It was like seeing a glimpse into the past. In front of her was the same woman that once proudly adorned the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem.
As she stared she couldn't help but grow annoyed. She knew Fury had done this on purpose. It was his own way of feeding his ego to see her, once again, wearing the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. His own way of telling her that he knew that once she got involved in this 'favor' of his, she wouldn't be able to leave.
And he was right.
As much as Christine wanted to throw in the towel and go back to Brooklyn, she couldn't. Ultron has ruined any anonymity in her life back in Brooklyn. If she went back they would all know that she was apart of S.H.I.E.L.D. and her quiet life would implode.
With a final glance at the mirror, she briefly closed her eyes and whirled around to the nightstand. She grabbed her daggers and descended down the stairs, where she knew the team was heading up to leave.
When she arrived on the jet, she realized that a few members were missing. When she expressed her concern Clint explained that Bruce and Tony were being dropped off at Bruce's lab and Thor had left a couple of days ago. She frowned when she realized that she hadn't noticed his absence in the last few days.Christine sat in her normal position in the quinjet, towards the back and away from everyone. She was enjoying her alone time when she felt someone looking at her. She peeked an eye open and was met with Nat's gaze.
She smiled at her and she returned it. Taking her smile as an invitation, she ended up sitting next to her.
"Are you going to give me another speech about how I'm not a bad person?"
"I- um, yeah I was"
She hummed in response.
"I had such a great speech, but I'm sure Cap here gave you an award winning pep talk."
"He did."
"Damn."
A small laugh escaped her and she smirked at her.
"You know, someone once told me something very wise."
"I'm sure they did." She said.
"Moping isn't going to do shit"
"Did Fury tell you that?"
She laughed. "Yes, but he got it from someone else."
Catching the hint, she smiled again. "She sounds like a bitch."
"Oh, she is. Major one. You know, I don't even really like her but-"
Christine threw her head back and a light, genuine laugh filled the air.Nat nudged her shoulder before chuckling herself.
"I didn't know that Black Widow could make jokes."
"I can still kick your ass." She said.
The corner of her mouth quirked up and just as quickly as she arrived, Nat stood up and left her alone.
"We should be arriving in Hong Kong in less than fifteen minutes." Clint called from the front.
Christine smoothed a hand down her face. Her mind was racing a mile a minute and she couldn't get a minute of rest.
Like clockwork, she once again felt someone's gaze on her. Instead of looking up at them she waited for them to approach her. As predicted they did.
"Here."
She lifted her head in time to catch the weapon being tossed to her. She glared at the pistol in her hands, but still attached the holster to her side. Christine weighed the pistol in her hands before checking the ammunition and making sure there was a bullet in the chamber. Her eyebrow quirked at Steve. Simply shrugging his shoulders in response he also tossed her a spare magazine.
"Knives aren't always gonna work, you're gonna need those."
"Thanks."
"No problem." He said.
She felt the jet descend and she knew that they were close to their destination. Peeking out the window, they were approaching a building apart from the mainland. On its own island, surrounded by the sparkling water was Dr. Cho's lab. The building was made up of glass windows, all placed in a perfectly geometrical design. Leading up to the building was a beautiful bridge, surrounded by water.
Clint maneuvered the jet to the pavement below, but he kept the engine running.
"Alright, Christine, you're with me. Every one else be on the lookout. They aren't going down without a fight."
Christine followed behind Steve, his long strides were hard to keep up with so she settled for a light jog. Inside, the lobby was empty. Upon further inspection papers were scattered everywhere, chairs overturned, and phones were still ringing with no one to answer.
"They left in a hurry."
"That means Ultron's already here."
After finding a directory, they rushed to Dr.Cho's Lab. When they entered, she glanced around the room, looking for her.
"Dr. Cho!"
Steve bent down to get a better look at her. She was leaning against the wall behind her, grimacing in pain. She sharply inhaled when she tried to move from her spot. Steve places a comforting hand on her shoulder and mumbled something about staying still. She was still in her lab attire and looked like she has been for days. Christine's eyes fell on her chest, where she noticed a deep gash in her chest. She grabbed some medical supplies from the cabinet next to her and handed them to Steve. He caught the hint and began to try and clean it.
"He's uploading himself into the body."
"Where?" Steve stopped cleaning her wound, momentarily trying to glance around the room.
Dr. Cho reached out and grabbed his arm in a vice grip. "The real power is in the gem. It's power is uncontainable, unpredictable even. You can't just blow it up, it can't be destroyed. You have to get the cradle to Stark."
"First I have to find it."
She nodded and moved her hand down to grab his hands, stopping him from tending to her wound. "Go."
"Dr.Cho-"
"I'm fine, just go get the cradle before he has the chance to upload himself completely."
Steve squeezed her hand before speaking into his earpiece. "Did y'all get that?"
"We did"
Christine reached for Dr.Cho and helped her onto a medical table. She grabbed some more medical supplies, finishing up cleaning and wrapping up her wound.
"I've got a private jet taking off across town. No manifest. Could be him."
Steve shot a glance at Christine and she understood. With one last look at Dr.Cho, they both rushed out of the lab.
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