╭-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╮
CHAPTER THREE!
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖗
╰-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╯
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THE EMPTY AIRPORT is perfect for what Salene can only call the worst fight she'll probably experience in her life. She is going to have to stand in front of the world's most powerful people, and she has to fight them. And it isn't under circumstances that she likes either. Salene has never wanted to run away more in her life. But she stood in her assigned position after briefly meeting what was she liked to call Team Iron-Man. And she patiently waited for her cue to make a dramatic entrance.
She has one small fleeting hope that maybe, just maybe, her being there will convince her idol to not steal the jet, and to turn his friend in, to sign the accords, and continue to protect the earth. Salene didn't want to be here, and she regrets ever saying yes. She watched, Tony's voice flood her ear with the comm, her careful eyes scanned the Winter Soldier, she watched him, waiting for any sign of vulnerability, remorse even. She wasn't able to see anything past the mask that she wore.
He wasn't armed, but the guarded stance and expression could make anyone else think otherwise.
"UNDEROOS!" Tony yelled out, Salene huffed and blasted herself off the pavement from her gauntlets, the lines in her suit glowing a bit brighter as she shot a few blasts at the two men's feet, distracting them as Peter swung over, taking Steve's shield and webbing his hands together. Salene arched through the air as all of this happened, she landed into a roll, popping to her feet next to Tony, brushing some pebbles from the asphalt off her knees and shins.
"Nice job," he spoke to the both of them, Salene could easily see the impressed look on his face that he didn't even try to cover up. Salene only faced Steve and Bucky, if they were shocked, she couldn't tell.
"Thanks," Peter was on top of an army truck, Steve's shield adorning his arm, he was on one knee as if he was proposing, it was almost endearing, "Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit- well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's-it's perfect- Thank you." Salene only rolled her eyes as she turned her head to Tony, her silence was something he enjoyed.
"Yeah," Tony frowned, "we don't really need to start a conversation." He spoke, raising his hands as if he was negotiating.
"Okay," Peter looked to Steve wHO now seemed confused, his hands still webbed together, "Cap- Captain. Big fan, I'm Spider-Man." Salene was so close to sending a warning blast to the shield. He needs to stop. talking.
"Yeah, we'll talk about it later. Just-"
"Hey everyone."
"Good job."
"You've been busy," Steve now seemed amused, she wondered what he was like domestically, or just when they aren't in an airport with tension so thick she felt like she was gonna choke and he wasn't a war criminal. The good old days.
"And you've been a complete idiot," Tony snapped, startling Salene from her thoughts, the aggression was something she's never heard before, "Dragging in Clint, 'rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep-" Tony choked, Salene was sure to get whiplash from this man's emotional range, "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."
"You did that when you signed," Steve chided, making Salene wince, Steve Rogers was cold. Staring at him now, she can see the lines of age now finally settling in. She wonders what he was like before the ice, even before the serum. The original Steve. She hopes he was someone that her father would be proud of because if he met the man before her, she wasn't sure what he'd say. Salene was disappointed.
"Alright, We're done," Tony seemed to have given up, "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." Steve looked away, that's what told Salene this whole conversation was pointless, that no matter how much begging and pleading and even guilt, he wasn't going to turn The Winter Soldier in. She wondered if she ever had a friend like that. She caught herself zoned out, trying to remember any specific faces that she could even consider a friend.
"Come on." Tony's plea made Salenes heart wrench, this man was desperate to help Steve, she knows it. She knows that Steve knows it, which only made her more disappointed and now frustrated when he lifts his webbed handed in the air, an arrow flying overhead and slicing through the webs. Salene whipped around, her gauntlets now glowing as she looked for Hawkeye. How did she not see him before? Salene was interrupted by Peter's voice, unease was all over him.
"Hey, guys, something-" Peter was cut off by a man appearing out of nowhere, kicking Peter back by the jaw as the man quickly ran back to Steve, the shield was handed to him with a puffed-out chest.
"Whoa," James finally spoke up again, "What-what the hell was that?"
"I believe this is yours, Captain America." The man spoke in a tone that she could only describe as righteous. It made her want to cringe and gag.
"Oh, great," Tony sarcastically spoke, he was now in the air, Salene found herself levitating, "Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them's Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?"
"Got two in the terminal, Wilson, and Barnes." James spoked Tony only had to give her a look to let her know what she needs to do. Sure. She can take down a man with a metal arm paired with a man with fucking wings. Yeah, she's got this.
Salene was nervous. She didn't listen to anyone else after. She shot off, using the energy for the extra kick that would have her shattering through the glass window, crashing into the two men, and knocking them over like dominos. Salene was wheezing as she popped back up, deflecting punches as she tried retaliating, throwing in whatever she could to overpower them, it was futile until Peter swung through the same hole and kicked Sam back. Salene almost laughed as he caught Bucky's punch.
"Whoa dude, you have a metal arm?" Peter asked, Buckys face dropped in the realization that Peter was just a kid. This was the perfect moment for her to pounce, immediately latching onto Bucky and throwing a punch wherever she could land one, a fistful of hair was clenched between her fingers as she dragged him around like she was a rat in ratatouille. Sam had swooped down and snatched Peter up like a vulture, the distraction had cost Salene the position she was in. Bucky has grabbed her by the arm and slung her to the floor.
She cried out and blasted him back, if it had any effect, she didn't get to see, she was trying to reclaim the air that was slammed out of her lungs. She got to her knees and shook her head, she can do this. Salene groaned and shot up, she can feel the horns almost breaking the skin in her forehead and something new, burning in the middle of the two horns. She didn't have time to look in the mirror, she darted down to Bucky, blasting at his feet to at least slow him down.
Salene landed on his back, her hands in his hair as he fell forward. She didn't mean to but she let out a deep growl that had Bucky craning his neck to look at her. He managed to spin around and throw her back, she crashed into a kiosk sideways, cheap gadgets were everywhere along with her mask. She gasped as Bucky saw her face and she immediately put it back on, looking around to see that Peter was a distance off from Sam, there's no way he could have seen. Salene jumped to her feet, fists raised, she needed to take this guy down-
"Lightbringer, need backup," Natasha Romanoff's voice chimed in and Salene shit up, flying past Bucky out the window, making a new hole, and caught view of Wanda throwing Natasha into a trailer, making Salene wince. She dropped down and climbed into it, helping the woman up as she kicked aside the contents as they left the hole Natasha made.
When Salene dropped down in front of Wanda. She was nervous, she's always admired Wanda and Natasha, and having to fight Wanda hurt Salene. Wanda didn't know her, so she wouldn't pull punches. She felt that when she was lifted into the air and sent soaring. She felt a web attach to her back and sling her back, her hand curling into a fist as she was projected back to Wanda, her punch sent Wanda flying back a few feet and Salene couldn't help but let out a squeal.
She was able to knock the Scarlet Witch back. Salene had to cut it short almost immediately when out of the corner of her eye, Clint Barton was charging her. She spun around to face him, narrowly missing the baton he had in his hands. She retaliated with an elbow to his ribs, smirking when he gasped and faced her, wide-eyed and trying to find some air.
She watched him carefully as she kept her fists raised, studying him quickly to figure out his next move before he even retaliated. Salene couldn't understand his fighting and that's what truly brought her onto her backside. She gasped as he ran off, making her anger bubble up as she got back up, shooting up to see Cap and the man that kicked Peter back throwing something at Rhodey and Natasha. It turned into what Salene thought was a giant water truck but she was proven wrong when it went up in an explosion. She gasped and landed down next to Natasha who narrowly missed getting hit.
She turned off her comm and held a hand out for the redhead.
"Are you okay?" Salene asked and Natasha nodded, a small smile graced the woman's face as she got up with Salene's help. Salene only nodded before turning her comm back on as Tony approached.
"What do you say about not going easy anymore?" Tony asked the two and Salene warily looked down at her gauntlets.
"Trust me, you won't hurt them," Tony spoke, it was like he could read her mind. She only nodded and looked between the two adults who shared their look.
"Alright, let's go," Tony spoke and soon the three jogged over to face off Steve and the rest of the fugitives. Salene was tired. She felt a presence land beside her and she saw Peter nodding to her before looking back at Steve.
Salene watched as Vision tore through the ground with a beam of his own energy, much like hers but a different color. She wondered if that meant he could help her control her powers, or at least not fear them so much. She noticed that even after Vision said his piece, Steve still wasn't backing down. She frowned as they all started walking, Salene was struggling to keep up with tall heroes it didn't help that she was seriously out of breath from all the fighting.
The Avengers around her started to run, she started to run too. Salene finally decided to experiment with her powers, finding that she could make herself float with the wispy energy that surrounds herself and soon Tony and Rhodey were flying too.
It was all a blur to her as she landed a punch on Clint Barton, once again, blocking his batons and hitting where it was important. Salene was slowly figuring out how to control how much entertainment she put in her punches. She knew how hard she could punch a man without killing him. And she was glad now, that Tony Stark had drugged her out to an empty German Airport to fight half of the Avengers in an attempt to fix the problems that started at the bombed meeting.
That is, until, through the thick of the fight, the man that kicked Peter back on the truck, grew to be as tall as a building.
"Holy Shit!"